Summer Fresh Cobbler for the new "Empty Nesters"

This past summer was such an amazing treat, but alas, it has come to an end for me as I head back to school and begin my serious studying. I have vowed, however, not to give up my most wonderful joys of tinkering in my kitchen (which I did much of this summer, although, I have not taken the time to post the recipes because I was busy having too much fun). I have recently become an "empty nester" and am only cooking for two. I thought I would be sad after my youngest left for college, but after a year of crying over silly little things - like say- Toy Story 3, I am perfectly happy and content and feeling free. My oldest is 27 now and I have been doing this parenting thing for a very long time, so it stands to reason that I am happy about my new found freedom, but I am more than a little surprised. Last year I envisioned feeling lost in too big of a house and wandering around aimlessly, meanwhile, I am celebrating each moment of doing exactly what I want to do. Go figure. Anyway, on one of these such moments, I decided to use the freshest fruit available and made the following. I hope you all enjoy them as much as we new-found newlyweds did, and for those of you dreading the "empty nest", boy do you have a wonderful surprise coming your way!

Take 2 baking crocks and slice 1/4 cup of fresh pitted sweet cherries, 1/2 of one large ripe peach, and 1/2 of one black plum into each crock. Add 1 tsp of sugar to each crock, sprinkling over fruit. In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of crisco, a sprinkle of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of baking powder. Work in the crisco until the mixture looks like large grains of sand. Add 1/4 cup of milk. Drop mixture by large teaspoons on top of your fruit in three separate mounds. Sprinkle top with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 min. Serves 2 perfectly :)

Light and Fresh Chiffon Cake w/Strawberries and Mint

I just returned from a wonderful trip with Women's Quest in the Sonoma Valley feeling lighter inside and out! Colleen Cannon and her staff at Women's Quest never disappoint, and if you ever find yourself in need of lightening your load (and who doesn't?) this is the perfect trip to book. Instead of touring and shopping, and basically going through the same motions that you would at home, you will find yourself PLAYING - I mean really playing. Colleen will encourage you to find your inner-child, the one that you can barely remember, and even if you think that you don't know that little kid anymore, she will coax that kid out of you and you will do things that you forgot you loved to do. This is one of those trips that renew your spirit, and instead of coming home from a vacation needing a vacation, you will return feeling so much lighter and ready to tackle the world with renewed vigor. This was my third trip with Women's Quest and each time I go I feel it was the best one ever. My first was a mountain biking trip to Vermont - best one ever. My second was a yoga retreat in Maya Tulum - best one ever. This last was a road biking trip through wine country - best one ever. I try to treat myself with a trip with Colleen once a year because she infuses me, and all of the other women, with her amazing energy, and I leave feeling like I know exactly who I am. Amazing. I also come home wanting to do all of the things I love with a renewed energy, so my family LOVES when I go on these trips. How great is that?? This is what I made them as soon as I got home to celebrate the start of summer and our wonderful local strawberries in Maryland. The best part about devouring a piece of this cake is that you feel lighter when you are finished your treat - kinda like a Women's Quest trip. Enjoy!

Chiffon Cake:
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Sift together in large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
Add:
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
Mix at high speed until smooth (3min. or so)

Beat egg whites (room temp.) at high speed in another bowl adding 1/2 cup sugar SLOWLY until fluffy like meringue. Add cake batter to this bowl SLOWLY. Let it pour in like a ribbon of taffy and blend gently. Pour into a fluted cake pan (ungreased) and bake for 325 for 45min - 1hr.
Cool cake upside down balanced on a beer bottle. Yes you read that right. It will hang in mid-air until cool. Run a knife around the edge and pry out of pan. Do not be afraid - it will surprise you and stay together, I promise.

While the cake is cooling slice a quart of fresh strawberries add some sugar (about 1 tablespoon)and a little warm water - about 1/8 cup. Add some fresh mint and stir. Serve along side of the cake. Yum.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake and Conversation

It is no secret to anyone who has lived through the teenage experience that getting your teen to open up about their day can be a little tricky. Just asking a question can sometimes be considered a serious invasion of their privacy, and usually is answered in a one to two word response that will provide you with absolutely no information at all. So before leaving on my trip I did some baking to lure my teenage daughter (17) into a conversation. It works like a charm every time. She enters the home, heads straight to the kitchen, and breathes deep. I watch the smile cross her lips, and I know I have won her over. As I pull the warm sweetness out of the oven, she begins to talk and doesn't stop until her tummy is full and I have heard about every little detail of her day. These moments are priceless, and since she is my youngest - I am pretty much making this cake at a moments notice and on demand. The recipe to getting your teenager to talk is simple and follows:
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
In a large mixing bowl add 2 Cups of flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of softened butter and mix until the stuff looks like course crumbs.
Remove 1 cup from mixer and put aside.
Add 2 eggs, 3/4 cup of milk, and 1 tsp of vanilla to mixer and mix on med. speed until smooth.
Rub an 8 x 8 pan with a little canola oil, and spread in batter (it will be thick)
Scatter 1 cup of mini (must be mini) chocolate chips on top
Scatter the rest of the crumb mixture on top of chips
Bake at 350 for 50min - to 1 hour or until center is firm to touch.
Serve warm with a cup of milk and enjoy your conversation!

Savory Dark Meat Chicken Pie

The recipe that you will find below is another one inspired by my trip to Key West when I heard Molly O'Neill tell a story about a woman who stabbed and killed her husband last Thanksgiving over the last piece of dark meat on the turkey. "Well, I mean it was dark meat. You could understand," she said. "I mean who would ever kill someone over white meat?" After the crowd recovered from the laughter, Molly and Ruth Reichl began an exchange about how dark meat is just full of flavor and how the latest trend in eating here in the United States is about eating the whole animal and not just the pretty parts. I personally think this ties in nicely with the green philosophy that is spreading across our country. For us meat eaters, the least we can do is let the animals live a little before slaughter (think free-range), and appreciate the taste of all that they have to offer. One of my favorite dishes as a child was my mother's fried chicken livers with onions, where she would add a little sherry and flour to the pan to make a rich dark gravy that was poured over my mashed potatoes. I plan to make this soon for my own family, and if successful, the recipe will be posted. But, in the meanwhile, I did decide for myself that I like dark meat better than white, and what the heck it is cheaper. I created a new version of my chicken pot-pie, which is perfect for the winter freeze that we have all been suffering through and guaranteed to cure any cold!



Grab a large saute pan and melt 1/4 cup of butter. Throw in 6 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, 4-5 chopped spring onions, 1 small yellow onion (chopped), 3-4 stalks of chopped celery, 1/2 cup of baby peas (I used frozen), 1/4 cup sweet corn (frozen again), 4 small peeled and chopped potatoes, 3 peeled and chopped carrots, and 1/2 cup of fresh dill. Brown the meat on both sides along with the veggies by turning them over a few times. Pour in 2 cups of free-range chicken stock and add 1/2 of a knox chicken boullion to pan. Cover and simmer for 30-40 min on low flame. Lift the lid and smell the yummy concoction that you have just created. Take a coffee cup and fill a little less than 1/2 way with flour. Add warm (almost hot) water and stir with a fork to make a paste without lumps. Turn up your flame until you have a full boil and pour in your paste while stirring. Just add enough to thicken to your own liking. Add some cracked pepper and sea-salt to taste. Pour into a 9 x 9 deep-dish glass pan. Top with one package of pillsbury crescent rolls. Just unroll them, place on top and press down on the edges of glass to seal your pie. Bake at 425 for 15 min. Remove and enjoy!

The Hungry Muse - Key West Literary Seminar

I just returned from a week in Key West where I attended the 29th annual Literary Seminar and I am still basking in the glow of good food, good drinks, new friends and abundant sunshine. I cannot even express properly the incredible sensations that surrounded me when I heard some of the best food writers of all time present, read and share their process and stories. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I was not at a comedy show, but rather a Literary Seminar. Besides the fact that I met and had a wonderful private conversation with The Judy Bloom, whose book was the only one that I brought along on the trip - a book on censorship called Places I Never Meant to Be, which I found to be invaluable to any writer in this day and age of political correctness...anyway I am rambling I know, but it is just so hard not to. I will share a recipe inspired by this trip when acclaimed food writer, Madhur Jaffrey, made me breakfast. Madhur is from India so be prepared for a little spice, and please note that while fresh spices are always prefered, I successfully substituted with the dry versions we convieniently find on grocery shelves.

Fried Potatoes with Curry

Peel and cut the potatoes in 1 inch chunks and place in a bowl - cover and steam in microwave for about 5 min.
Pour some oil in a hot saute pan - olive oil is a little too heavy for this recipe - I used canola. About a 1/8 cup.
Add 1 tsp dried curry (or 1/4 cup of fresh chopped curry leaves if you are lucky)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp hot red pepper
1/2 small chopped onion and potatoes. Enjoy the smells!
Toss frequently and cover in between for about 10 to 15 min.

Meanwhile....crack 6 eggs in a large bowl. Whisk briskly and add 1/4 cup of water. Get out another pan and add some oil. Toss in the hot oil the other 1/2 of your onion (chopped)
Some chopped tomato (about 1/4 cup) and fresh cilantro.
Pour in your eggs and scramble.

The potatoes have just enough kick and the eggs are cool and refreshing by contrast. I love fresh cracked pepper and sea salt on just about everything - including this recipe, so find your own taste and sprinkle as needed.