Four Cheese Spinach Stuffed Shells

Originally this was a three cheese spinach stuffed shells dish, but then my childhood best friend said she adds crumbled goat cheese to the top of her stuffed shells. Because I too think goat cheese makes almost any dish better, this went from being a three to a four cheese spinach stuffed shells dish. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? So after making this recipe change, I don't think I will ever go back to the three cheese version as the tanginess of the melted goat cheese on top of the melted mozzarella makes this an insanely delicious dish.

Unless I know someone has a specific food allergy, I don't always share what is in the dish I am serving until after they have tasted it. So when someone says 'What's in this?', I usually say 'I will tell you after dinner'. This may sound terribly wicked, but my experience of 'the taste first, tell second' always seems to surprise (in almost always a good way) those who had thought they didn't like something (goat cheese being one of them) or those who didn't think the combination of ingredients would taste good together.

What I love about this recipe is that you can assemble it the night before or earlier in the day. So by time dinner comes all that is left to do is make the salad, cut up some bread, and put the stuffed shells in the oven. While the shells are cooking, you are free to just relax enjoy the appetizers and wine with your friends and not be a slave in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun (not that cooking isn't fun, it's just a different kind of fun grazing and chatting with friends).

I am not a complete purist when I am cooking. Oh yes, I have become a little obsessive about using only fresh eggs (living in a town where many raise chickens and sell their eggs is nirvana) and I love only whole milk ricotta in recipes. However, when it comes to recipes requiring cooked spinach, well this is where I swing to the other end of the continuum and substitute frozen chopped spinach. I don't think I could live without Bird's Eye frozen chopped spinach, and thanks to them I don't have to take the extra step and cook fresh spinach for this recipe. But for those of you who are purists, by all means cook down some fresh spinach for this recipe!

With the weather continuing to be mild, my herbs are still thriving. I don't why it is that I get such a thrill out of going out my back door and going over to the herb garden to cut fresh herbs. Maybe it is because my green thumb is limited to growing herbs or maybe it is because living in the farmhouse I somehow feel I am channeling my inner farm girl. Whatever the reason, the chopped fresh parsley and basil in the filling make it even more flavorful. And other than garlic, I love the taste of fresh basil in pasta dishes with a red sauce base.

All of the filling ingredients are mixed in large bowl. Once you make the filling, you can chill slightly if you would like. If you are not using a pastry bag to fill the shells, chilling makes it a little easier if filling using a spoon. I usually know something is going to be good when the uncooked version of it is also good. I have been known to take a few tastes of this filling when assembling the recipe.

A one pound box of jumbo pasta shells is cooked al dente or for about 7 to 9 minutes. The shells should  still retain their shape and are that combination of slightly tender/still firm. The cooked shells are rinsed, drained and then placed on a baking sheet you have added olive to. How much olive oil? About 3 to 4 tablespoons. I like to the rub the shells in the olive oil to ensure they don't dry out while I am filling them as well as to prevent them from sticking together.

The 9 x 12 baking dish is first layered with a little more than a cup of marinara sauce. Then the stuffed shells are placed on top.

I find it easier to fill the shells with a pastry bag. If you don't have a pastry bag, you can you a large ziploc bag and then cut a 1/2 inch off of one of the corners.

Once the shells are filled you pour 3 to 4 cups of marinara over them. The amount of sauce you pour is somewhat of a personal preference. Just be careful not to drown the shells in sauce. The grated mozzarella is layered next, followed by the crumbled goat cheese. I know some of you might be thinking, goat cheese, really? And all I will say is yes, really goat cheese. If you don't trust me, you should trust the source of this inspiration. The four cheese stuffed shells are baked for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cheeses have melted, are lightly browned and the filling is cooked through. Allow the dish to set for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe

Four Cheese Spinach Stuffed Shells (inspired from many sources)

Ingredients

Filling

2 (15 ounce size) containers of whole milk ricotta cheese

1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tablespoons chopped Italian (flat) parsley

3 Tablespoons chopped basil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 large egg yolks

1 box of frozen spinach (thawed and drained)

1 pound box of jumbo shells

1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

4 to 6 ounces of goat cheese

Marinara Sauce 

(homemade or jarred. For jarred I love Rao's Marinara Sauce for its' taste and convenience. Recommend using the 2 pound jar.)

Directions

1. Cook pasta shells in large pot of boiling salted water until slightly tender but still firm (about 7 to 9 minutes).
2. Drain pasta shells and place on an olive oiled baking sheet. Toss shells in olive oil so they don't stick together. Cool slightly.
3. Combine all filling ingredients and set aside.
4. On the bottom of 9 x 12 baking dish, spoon 1 1/4 cups of marinara sauce on the bottom.
5. Using a pastry bag or tablespoon, fill each of the shells with the filling and place on top of sauce.
6. Top finished stuffed shells with 3 to 4 cups of marinara sauce over the top of the shells.
7. Sprinkle grated mozzarella followed by crumbled goat cheese.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is lightly browned and filling in shells is cooked through.
9. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Note: The dish can be assembled the day before or earlier in the day. Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled until ready to cook. If chilled overnight, allow to sit out at least 30 minutes before baking.

I have packing to do and all I want to do is try to capture some of the colors and images of a New England autumn. And even though the weather wasn't cooperative this past weekend (rainy, gray and gloomy), I found other things to distract my attention from the task of packing. I have convinced myself I can get it all done in two days. An since I invited the couple who own the farmhouse I have been living in for dinner this week, I can't possibly start packing (who knows what dishes, napkins, glassware pots, and pans I will need). Maybe having a midweek dinner party was a subliminal delay tactic on my part but I wanted to make a meal for the two people who have 'taken care' of me (so to speak) over the last fifteen months. For me, there is something so much more personal about making a meal than in taking someone out to dinner (and I live in a one restaurant town with a pretty good restaurant) to thank them for a kindness.

And I have been the recipient of a great many kindnesses from this couple (who are in their 80s and who I consider to be some of the hardest working people I know). The portion of their property my house sits on is about two acres. I can't even tell you how many acres their house sits on. But let's just say many many. And at least once a week and sometimes twice from spring through fall, Walter cuts the grass for both houses. While I have been spoiled by not having to do this yardwork (other than keeping all of my flower and herb beds weed free and mulched), I have felt just a little guilty that this work was being done for me. Throughout the seasons, I would often come home to find some freshly picked berries or vegetables on my back table. And sometimes there would even be a jar of freshly made preserves or a bouquet of flowers from their garden. These would have been left for me by Norma. And the timing of these 'gifts' was almost always uncannily perfect.

In my lifetime I have not lived anywhere where these regular kindnesses were given to me, particularly without the expectation of anything in return. Unbeknownst to them, these simple kindnesses have nurtured my sometimes wounded spirit and brought me great joy. And even though I too have tried to give back, inviting them to dinner in the house that Walter's father built 83 years ago in my last week living in this house is not only what I need to do, it is what I want to do. And compared to all that I have received, it is still only a small, simple gesture of my appreciation both to and for them.

Banana Bread, Version 2

I just couldn't wait for the throw down with my sister, I just couldn't let the ripened bananas go to waste. and I couldn't wait any longer to use the new pumpkin loaf pan my brother-in-law sent me for my birthday. So I had to make a decision. Make another loaf of banana bread using the adapted version of Flour's recipe or listen to my sister and make the recipe she says was perfect. Which turned out to be a recipe she had modified. So I half listened to my sister. I made what I am now calling Banana Bread, Version 2 because, of course, I too had to make my own adaptations.

Why was I so reluctant to listen to my sister? Anyone with a sibling knows the answer to that question, however, beyond the sibling rivalry decisions we make, the written reviews for this recipe on Epicurious were in my opinion 'all over the place'. A few said the banana bread collapsed when it baked. With my week long wait time for bananas to ripen, the last thing I wanted to make was a banana bread that didn't look bakery perfect. But my curiosity for tasting what my sister believed was the perfect banana bread needed to be satisfied. And since the recipe was rather simple and didn't require the use of a mixer, I thought 'okay I'm game, what do I have to lose?' (especially since I was my own judge and jury and if it didn't turn out, no one would be the wiser). The only issue would be coming up with a reasonable explanation for why I did not make this banana bread when pressed by my sister. And reasonable would not be 'our tastes in baked goods are not always in sync' (although that would be mostly true).

I wasn't going to post two banana bread recipes in one week (like how crazy is that). Which meant I taking many photos as I was baking. Just a few to text to my sister (call it a virtual thrown down of sorts). But after baking and tasting this banana bread, I thought you should be the one to decide which banana bread recipe version you want to make. Like version 1, this one was incredibly moist and also had a great denseness to it. I am not certain which one I like better yet. Will have to keep tasting them to see if a clear favorite emerges. Version 2 is definitely easier and requires less ingredients. That, in of itself, could be what influences your decision, especially those of you who subscribe to the 'less is more' way of thinking. Although you might want to make them both to decide for yourself!

And as you can see, this banana bread did not collapse (and I can't explain why that happened to others who have made this recipe although I have some ideas). Making this banana bread in the pumpkin mold from Williams-Sonoma certainly made it look even more beautiful. But I think the pumpkin bread  would also look beautiful made in 9"x 5" loaf pan.

Recipe
Banana Bread, Version 2 (slight adaptation of Aunt Holly's Banana Bread recipe shared on Epicurious)

Ingredients
3 1/2 ripened bananas mashed (or 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas)
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 heaping teaspoon of Saigon cinnamon
3/4 cup toasted and chopped walnuts

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare a 9" x 5"  baking pan or Williams-Sonoma botanical pumpkin mold and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, first mix together the banana, butter, vanilla, and egg until blended. Then add all of the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon.
3. Scrap batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
4. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until a tester inserted into the bread comes out clean (Hint: if the banana bread springs back when you press lightly on it, it should be done. Just make sure to do this in the middle of the bread).
5. Cool on wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes and then unmold. Slice, serve and savor!
6. Tightly cover the leftovers. Storing the banana bread in the refrigerator will extend its' life. Warm a slice in the microwave or allow to come to room temperature before enjoying.

If you have ever moved you know how much work and stressful it can be. While nothing compares to moving from a house you have lived in for many, many years, moving after living in a house for as little as a year has its' own set of emotions. Sometimes it's not moving from one house to another that causes a little angst, it's moving from one city/town/state/country to another that has a way of tempering with the emotions of change. In less than two weeks (and yes I am counting the days so I can savor each of them), I will be packing up the farm house and heading back to the house in the midwest. Already I am missing things about the east coast town I am living in and I haven't even left yet. I am calling it the 'anticipation of loss' versus calling it the 'thankfulness for having had the time here'. Someday I will get to the thankfulness place, but I am definitely not there yet.

Yet, in spite of living in the farmhouse for a little over a year, it feels as if I have spent more time here. I had a connection to this house and this town the day I moved in. There are people back in the midwest whose vision of me is one best described as 'high maintenance, up town kind of girl'. Guess they could never see or know that I had another side of me (but I knew). Yes, I still like to shop and still like to collect things, but living here has only reaffirmed what I have always known. It is not the size of the house one lives in, it is how one makes a space a home. And over the course of the past fifteen months, it has been nothing less than thrilling to search for the things that would make the farmhouse into a warm, welcoming home. Antique shows (including a trip to Brimfield), antique shops, thrift stores, resale stores, yard sales and, yes of course, Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma were the places where I found all that I needed (and of course, I took just a few a things from the midwest home too). My attachment to these furnishings is as much connected to the hunt for them as it is to their simplistic beauty, in how they transformed the farmhouse, as well as my life here and the people who have come into it. But this move back to the midwest means letting go of almost all of these things. While I am trying to tell myself they are just things, this time these 'things' symbolize so much more to me.

Banana Bread

Making banana bread is a lesson in patience, unless of course you are able to find overly ripe bananas at the grocery store. No such luck when I went looking for bananas last week. The only ones I could find were my favorite eating bananas, the ones with peels still a little green. It was all I could not to eat  those bananas this past week and needed to keep reminding myself I was waiting for them to ripen. And the wait was almost 8 eight days. In my world, that is kind of long wait, for making banana bread that is. But as the old adage goes 'some things are worth the wait' (and of course wait time is all relative depending on what it is you desire) and this banana bread was definitely wait worthy.

I had been wanting to make Joanne Chang's famous banana bread recipe ever since I bought her first cookbook, Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery and Cafe. There was just something about the ingredients in her banana bread recipe that seemed like it would be one that was both dense and delicious. While I don't have a real gift for clairvoyance, my prediction on this banana bread was pretty accurate. Flavored with just hint of cinnamon and containing toasted walnuts, this turned out to be a moist, delicious, dense banana bread. The kind that would hold up to butter or cream cheese lathered over it. Yet, regardless if you are a banana bread purist or not, this banana bread will definitely appeal to all taste preferences.

Give me a fresh banana or a piece of great banana bread and I would be happy. For some reason those are the only two ways I will or can consume 'bananas' as I have never liked anything else containing or flavored with bananas. I would rather starve to death than eat a piece of banana cream pie, bananas foster, or banana candy. On the other hand, who knows what I would do for a fresh banana or piece of banana bread.

In almost every banana bread recipe I looked at, they called for the use of 3 to 4 ripe bananas. However, not all bananas are the same size, so there can be quite a difference in the amount of banana one is adding to a recipe. Joanne Chang was the first one to further elaborate on the quantity of bananas used in the recipe. In addition to listing 3 1/2 ripe bananas, she provided a weight measurement (340 grams) as well as the American weight conversion amount (or 1 1/2 cups mashed). From this point forward when making this banana bread, I may allow 3 to 4 bananas to ripen but I will add 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas to the batter.

In going with the 1 1/2 cups option, it ironically turned out to be 3 1/2 of the sized ripened bananas. Whether or not this was a coincidence, I am sticking with cup measurement option. Remember, the riper the bananas the easier it is to mash them. A day or two more of a wait for them to ripen will make a difference. More ripe is better than less ripe.

The dry ingredients are sifted and set aside while the wet ingredients are combined. After the sugar and eggs are mixed together in standing mixer, the canola oil is slowly added (another lesson in patience) so as not to deflate the air incorporated into the egg and sugar mixture. The mashed bananas, vanilla and some creme fraiche are added in for even more flavor.

It surprises me that not all recipes calling for nuts advise they be toasted. But whether or not they do, I always do. Toasting walnuts at 325 degrees for 10 minutes will transform the taste and flavor of the nuts as well as transform whatever it is you baking.

The dry ingredients and toasted walnuts are folded in with a spatula until the flour is fully blended in or said differently, you should not see any streaks of flour in the batter.

On a recent trip up to New Hampshire I bought a new loaf pan, a 10" x 5" one. The pan was christened with this banana bread recipe. Even though it was a non-stick pan, I lined it with parchment paper. The banana bread bakes for almost 75 minutes in a 325 degree oven. I began checking for doneness at 60 minutes, but knew then it needed another 15 minutes. In spite of the long baking time, this is a really moist bread. I just might use this recipe to have a banana bread throw down with my sister. We will definitely need to find some impartial judges for this throw down.

Recipe
Banana Bread (slight adaption of Flour's Famous Banana Bread recipe created by Joanne Chang)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 heaping teaspoon of Saigon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
3 1/2 very ripe bananas (or 1 1/2 cups of ripe bananas mashed)
2 Tablespoons of creme fraiche (or you could substitute sour cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
3. Using a whisk attachment in a stand mixer, beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Slowly add canola oil (don't pour in all at once).
5. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche and vanilla, mixing until combined.
6. Fold in flour mixture and toasted walnuts until thoroughly combined.
7. Pour batter into prepared 10x5 inch parchment paper lined loaf pan.
8. Bake 60 to 75 minutes (check at 60 minutes, but it will most likely take the full 75 minutes). 
9. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 30 minutes before unmolding.
10. Wrapped in plastic wrap the bread will be good for up to 3 days (if it lasts that long) or it can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.

This past weekend I drove up to New Hampshire to meet up with my friend Anne, someone I had not seen in a very, very long time. But neither time or distance has ever affected our ability to just 'pick up where we left off'. She is also one of those rare friends where I feel incredibly comfortable talking about anything and everything with her, even things I may kept only to myself. Whether our lives intersected at some point in another lifetime (yes, I lean toward believing in past lives) or whether we share an unexplainable connection to one another, I have grown and benefited from her friendship, wisdom and insights over the years. 

There are people that come into our lives for a short time and then there are the ones who stay. For me those that remain in my life are those that I consider my true friends, the ones I trust most and the ones I am not afraid to share my thinking with (even when this thinking isn't always rational). The people who come into my life and never leave are the ones I love and care for the most, regardless of the quantity of interactions I have with them. Everyone else in my life is just an acquaintance. 

Regardless of the reason or when someone came into my life, it is longevity in a friendship that I value most. For me it can be (and has been) incredibly painful when friendships are only context dependent. I have had my share of what I call 'false friends' over the course of my lifetime, those who seek to have only their needs met in the friendship, those who become your friend because of the position you hold, or even those who take more than they give. The most significant difference between a real friend and a false friend from my perspective? Well, I guess I believe that in times of conflict or misunderstandings, the real friend is someone who works to resolve and forgive while the false friend is someone who seeks to find fault or uses the conflict to take breaks from the friendship. If I have learned anything over the course of my lifetime, it has been the realization (and reaffirmation) that honesty and trust are the most important qualities in a genuine, in it for the long run friendship. A friendship may not always be about the quantity of interactions, but it is always about the quality of them.

Pumpkin Loaf aka a close Starbuck's version

There are many benefits to what I call living in God's country. Two lane highways; no stop lights; no street lights so one can see the stars perfectly at night; beautiful beaches; a lighthouse; farm and roadside stands selling fresh produce, eggs, and flowers; miles of stone walls surrounding homes and farms; blue hydrangeas dominating the summer landscape; a blueberry farm; an apple orchard; two Christmas tree farms, okay you get the picture. While it is a most picturesque environment, there are a few things that are at least a 20 to 30 minute drive away. The movie theatre; the grocery store; the bookstore; and yes, Starbucks. And even though I live in Dunkin' Donuts country, the closest one is also a 20 minute drive away. Not that 20 minutes is long, but a 40 minute round trip for an iced coffee and piece of pumpkin loaf is pushing it, even for me (little miss willing to drive long distances without packing a lunch).

Not having access to Starbucks would have been no big deal a couple of years ago because I was not a coffee drinker. Probably one of a handful of people in the universe who aren't. But then I discovered iced coffee and what a memorable day that was. Such deliciousness finally came into my life. As an added benefit, my daily caffeine intake changed from the drinking of diet soda to the drinking of iced coffee. In my quest to find the best iced coffee, I tried the ones from Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and my local coffee shop Coastal Roasters. I liked them all but if I had to choose a favorite, I would first choose the iced coffee from Starbucks, then the one from Coastal Roasters, and last but not least, the iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. Living on the east coast in DD country, I would be probably be considered a heretic for this opinion.

In spite of my iced coffee preferences, no one else but Starbucks sells slices of pumpkin loaf. If I was ever to indulge myself in something 'sweet' when ordering an iced coffee, I would always order a slice of the pumpkin loaf. Their pumpkin loaf is moist, not too sweet, and just one piece is enough to satisfy my craving for pumpkin. It is probably a good thing that the closest Starbucks is a 20 minute drive away because I have been able to severely limit my intake of their pumpkin loaf. Until now that is. No, there is not a Starbucks coming closer to where I live. But I recently found (on the internet of all places) a recipe that closely resembles the Starbuck's pumpkin loaf. It isn't exactly the same, but it is pretty gosh darn close as well as pretty gosh darn delicious.

Before making this recipe I must have looked at dozens and dozens of pumpkin bread and pumpkin loaf recipes. Expectedly the proportions of ingredients varied amongst the recipes, however, it was the type and combination of spices that were the most different. Some recipes called for only cinnamon, some included nutmeg, some had a combination of several spices, and some even said they left out spices when the making the bread (yikes). But it was the combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice in the Starbuck's like pumpkin loaf version that appealed to my taste preferences. After making this pumpkin loaf for the first time, I loved this spice combination but might even experiment with slightly increasing the amount of spices next time. Maybe.

All of the dry ingredients are blended together in a medium sized bowl and set aside. No sifting is required, but the use of a whisk helps to evenly distribute the dry ingredients.

This pumpkin loaf only takes 3/4 of a cup of pumpkin puree. I didn't think this was going to give it enough pumpkin flavor, but after tasting it, 3/4 of cup was the perfect amount. There is more granulated sugar than brown sugar in this recipe, but it is important to note that the recipe calls for dark brown sugar which adds an ever so slight molasses flavor to the bread.

The moistness for this loaf comes from two ingredients: eggs and vegetable oil. Four large eggs and 3/4 cup of vegetable oil are two of the wet ingredients. The eggs are combined with the sugars and vanilla before the dry ingredients are added. The vegetable oil and pumpkin puree are mixed in last.

This recipe makes one 9x5 inch pumpkin loaf. Even though recipes always say to prepare a loaf pan with butter/flour, I always, always use parchment paper. It makes one's baking life so much easier. My variation to the recipe was adding the sugar and the optional pumpkin seeds to the top of the loaf for added crunch as well as doubling the amount of vanilla. The loaf bakes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 65-70 minutes. It is a dense loaf and checking for doneness is really, really important. If it takes longer than 70 minutes in your oven, don't worry as it is a really moist loaf. And you definitely don't want an undone moist center.

Recipe
Pumpkin Loaf aka a close Starbuck's version (slight variation to a Starbuck's like version of the recipe found on the internet)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar plus additional for sprinkling top of loaf
1/4 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used Crisco)
Optional: about a 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt using a whisk. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs, sugars and vanilla on high speed in a standing mixer (or in a bowl using a hand mixer) for at least 30 seconds.
4. Add dry ingredients to the eggs/sugar mixture and mix until combined.
5. Add pumpkin puree and vegetable oil. Mix until combined.
6. Pour batter into a parchment paper lined 9x5 loaf pan. Bake for 65 to 70+ minutes or until top of loaf is brown and a cake tester is crumb or batter free.
7. Allow the bread to cool.
8. Cut into slices using a serrated knife and enjoy.

I love the taste of pumpkin year round, not only in the fall. Because it is a little harder to find pumpkin puree in the grocery stores in the spring and summer, I have a tendency to stock up on a few cans so I make pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie or even pumpkin bread whenever I have a pumpkin craving. Thankfully the expiration date on the canned pumpkin is about a year out from the date of purchase. I have been known to put canned goods in places where I don't always look so I have thrown out more than my share of pumpkin puree over the years. That's what happens when you sometimes buy 'too' much of any one thing. Or when you can't remember if you did or did not have some in the house. But then in my very active imagination I sometimes think there will be a run on pumpkin puree at the holiday time and if I don't buy a few more cans than I need, well I might be forced to drive 40 minutes round trip to satisfy an off season pumpkin craving.

Deviled Ham

I am feeling a little guilty. Guilty for many things, but this blog isn't going to turn into a personal confessional anytime soon. No, what I am feeling guilty about is that I have not shared any recipes other than baked goods this month. We all know that one cannot live on or serve only baked goods alone. Well maybe for a short period of time one can, but not without consequences (particularly on one's waist and thighs). So I thought that with so many opportunities for entertaining and even tailgating in the weeks ahead, maybe I would share the new Deviled Ham recipe I found and tried this past weekend. It was OMG wickedly delicious and definitely a nice change of pace to the usual suspect appetizers served during the cocktail hour.

So what exactly is deviled ham and how is it different from ham salad? The simple answer is that deviled ham is flavored with spices, like mustard, hot sauce and even cayenne pepper. Ham salad is generally flavored with pickles and can be a little sweeter. In other words, one is the evil and the other is the good version of a finely chopped ham spread. As much as I like them both, for me the sweeter ham salad works better on a sandwich for lunch while the deviled ham is a better prelude to dinner, a perfect pairing with a platter of cheeses, and goes perfect with either beer or wine. It might be fair to say that deviled ham is the trifecta of ham spreads! And if that isn't enough it is sinfully addictive (okay you knew that was coming at some point).

In spite of adding one tablespoon of hot sauce, the deviled ham really wasn't that 'hot'. The hot sauce added just the right amount of complexity and combined with the whole grain dijon mustard made for more hearty ham spread.

This is a perfect recipe to make with leftover ham, however, there is no need to worry because it can easily be made with a wedge of a fully cooked ham found in the grocery store. And it that isn't available, then you could use a high quality ham found in the deli (like Boar's Head).

The recipe in Bon Appetit called for the use of a cured, smoked and aged country ham. Because that was not available, I use a fully cooked ham (Leily's Boneless Ham) found in meat section of the grocery store where you find ham steaks and Canadian bacon. This recipe calls for ham that has already been cooked, so look carefully at the labels when you deciding on which ham to buy. Remember, you want a fully cooked ham for this recipe.

Once the ham is coarsely chopped, it is pulsed in a food processor until finely chopped. You will still be able to see small pieces of ham. Remember, don't over process as you do not want a ham paste.

The finely chopped ham is transferred to a medium sized bowl. The cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and hot sauce and mixed until well blended.

A freshly chopped scallion (aka green onion) and two tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley are then folded in. For me the right amount of seasoning was 3/8 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/8 teaspoon of finely ground pepper.

I served the Deviled Ham with sliced baguettes, however, you can use rye bread, pumpernickel, crackers, or lightly toasted baquettes. It will not matter what you decide to use because your family and friends won't remember what they put it on, they will only remember how it tasted. I am thinking that this Deviled Ham will become one of the new go-to recipes when having company as it is so easy to put together, different enough from the usual cocktail hour fare, and perfect to wet everyone's appetites for dinner.

Recipe
Deviled Ham (slight adapation of the Deviled Ham recipe printed in the October 2013 Bon Appetit)

Ingredients
8 ounces of fully cooked ham (used Leidy's Boneless Ham), coarsely chopped (if a cured, smoked Country Ham is available, recommend using)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup mayonnaise (recommend Hellman's mayonnaise)
1 Tablespoon hot sauce (used and recommend Cholula Hot Sauce)
2 teaspoons whole grain Dijon mustard (used Maille)
1 scallion thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
3/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon finely ground pepper
Baguettes, rye bread, pumpernickel or crackers for serving

Directions
1. Place coarsely chopped ham in food processor and pulse until finely chopped (you will still see small pieces of the ham).
2. Transfer finely chopped ham to a medium sized bowl and stirlin cream cheese, hot sauce, and whole grain mustard. Mix until well combined.
3. Fold in chopped scallion and parsley.
4. Stir in salt and pepper.
5. Serve immediately or chill for several hours or overnight. Serve with freshly sliced baguettes or rye bread or on lightly grilled baguettes.

I wish there was a law that until Thanksgiving there would not be any sign of Christmas decorations in the stores. The fall seems like such a short season anyway, I so dislike having it shortened with the distraction of holiday ornaments in the stores. I just want to take in and savor the beauty, foods and decorations of autumn for as long as possible. And if that means not changing out the window boxes and urns planted with kale and pumpkins until two weeks before Christmas then so be it. Actually I wouldn't mind if Christmas was skipped one year and we just had two Thanksgivings instead.

There is something about Thanksgiving that makes it my favorite holiday. The ability to just gather with family and friends around food that makes the day so much more relaxing and comfortable (in spite of the hours spent on cooking and the early morning wake up to put the turkey in oven). Yes, it relaxing as long as everyone you invite to Thanksgiving dinner gets along with one another and no one starts talking about Christmas.

Because with Thanksgiving there is no pressure for gifts and presents (or more to the point getting the perfect gifts or presents); no feeling guilt over forgetting a gift for someone; and no mess to clean up other than the dishes. Last Thanksgiving we spent the holiday in Colorado. My sister and I managed to put together a complete meal using the utensils found in the house we rented (well I did pack my knives in my checked suitcase) and shopping in stores unfamiliar to us. If you asked everyone in my family, I think they would say this little more laid back Thanksgiving was one of their favorites. This year with a nephew in college in Colorado and a niece in college in Boston we all won't be together (collegiate swimming conflicts) as a family. But regardless of how or where we spend Thanksgiving this year, I am certain of two things. It will be memorable and there will be Deviled Ham as one of the appetizers (unless of course everyone is on Deviled Ham overload by then).

Sea Salted White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies

There seems to be a pattern to this month's blog postings. Rather than say there is a proliferation of baked good recipes, I would say there is an absence of main dishes, side dishes, appetizers and even cocktails. For those you who regularly read this blog (wishful thinking on my part), bear with me for a few weeks as the postings may still be dominated by more desserts as there have been so many things I have wanted to make with fall arriving that the making of those things appealing more to one's sweet tooth has turned into a sort of obsession (admittedly a narrow one at that). But I promise that by mid-October you will begin to wonder "when is she going to post dessert recipes?".  Finding balance has always been something I have had to work on personally and in the kitchen.

My preference for brownies has always been for the really rich dark chocolate ones which means I have often overlooked the blondee brownies (and you would think that being a blonde myself would have me leaning toward the white chocolate end of the brownie continuum). But making a shift in brownie preferences sometimes comes in the form of a push, one experienced either literally or figuratively. As soon as I opened up the new Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook this week, I felt the proverbial push when I read their recipe for Blondies with White Chocolate and Macadamias. There was just something about the recipe that had me making it the morning after I bought the book. Maybe it is the browning of the butter or the use of dark brown sugar that caught my attention. Or maybe it was just the simplicity of the recipe. Whatever the reason, I am glad I was paying attention!

Because whatever the reason, these blondies were amazing. So much so I thought 'where have they been all my life?' (sort of sounds like a terrible but still makes you laugh pick-up line, doesn't it?). Of course I had to tweak this recipe just a bit. Toasting the macadamia nuts and lightly sprinkling sea salt on the top of the brownies were the only changes I made. The proportions and ingredients remained unchanged.

Don't you love when you find a recipe and you have all of the ingredients in your cabinets and refrigerator? And if you are anything like me, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips are two of the staples in my cabinets.

Dark brown sugar adds just the slightest taste of molasses to cookies and adding to the depth of flavor. The browning of the butter too transforms the taste of these blondies. I used to not think browning the butter mattered when a recipe called for it, but you really can taste the difference between only melted and browned butter in a recipe, especially in these blondies. As soon as the butter is browned, the dark brown sugar is whisked in. Once mixed, the large egg and vanilla are whisked in.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and Kosher salt until blended. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and stir until combined. The chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts are stirred in resulting in a very thick batter.

Using a spatula, scrape mixture into the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula, even out the batter. Lightly sprinkle the top with sea salt. I know I am sea salt obsessed lately. But it is such a flavor booster with chocolate, I just can't resist adding it.

The blondies are baked at 350 degrees for at least 25 minutes or until set around the edges. When testing with a toothpick (in the center), moist crumbs may be attached. Recommend you check for doneness at 20 minutes.

Allow the blondies to cool and then cut into the size bars of your liking. I cut mine into 2x3 inch rectangles. The 7x10 pan yielded 9 blondies. An 8x8 pan will yield up to 12 blondies.

Recipe
Sea Salted White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Blondies (slightly adapted recipe from The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook written by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Sandy Gluck)

Ingredients
8 Tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (recommend Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (used Ghiradelli)
Sea salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange macadamia nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, cool, chop and set aside.
2. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
3. Prepare an 8x8 inch baking pan (I used a 7x10) by lining with parchment paper and lightly buttering and flouring the paper and sides of pan.
4. In a small pan (skillet), melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter gets foamy, foam subsides leaving the butter brown in spots (about 2-3 minutes).
5. Pour butter into a bowl and immediately add brown sugar. Stir until sugar is melted.
6. Whisk in the large egg and vanilla.
7. After mixing the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, add to the butter/sugar mixture and stir.
8. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.
9. Pour batter in prepared pan. Using an offset spatula even out the batter. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
10. Bake for 25 minutes or until set around the edges. When testing with a toothpick, there will be some moist crumbs attached.
11. Cool in pan. Cut into 9 to 12 pieces, depending on which sized pan you are using. Or feel free to cut into smaller bites.

Most of us all have celebrations and events that we hold sacred in our lives. Holidays, anniversaries, significant milestone dates and birthdays are just a few of them. Whether these events are significant to us or to those important to us, so many memories come out of these celebrations. Sometimes they are really good memories (the ones you still talk about years, even decades later) and sometimes they aren't (the ones you would like to forget, but still remember years, even decades later). And with all of the social media options available to us today, it makes it so easy these days to give a quick important day shout out to let someone know you are thinking about them. You know how good it feels when you meet someone and they remember your name, well can you imagine how good you make someone feel when you remember an important day or event?

I think no matter how old we get, a card, a phone call, an email, a tweet, an instagram, or a Facebook message from a friend on our birthday always seems to add to the joyfulness and memorableness of the day. There is something about being remembered that just feels really, really good. And whether you are spending the day alone or surrounded by family and friends, being remembered matters. Sometimes its' even better than receiving a tangible gift (and yes those can be nice too). But there is something about being forgotten by a friend (or someone who you thought was a friend) that feels, well, not so good. Not end of the world not so good, but just a simple not so good. We all get just one day a year to celebrate who we are, what we give to others, and what we hope to give in the year ahead. If remembering strengthens connections and friendships (and even trust), what does belated remembering do? Guess it all depends on if the friendship matters.