Stuffed Artichokes are nothing to be afraid of,hon!

     When I was a kid, my mom warned me of the difficulty of making homemade pie crust.  For years, I never considered anything but store-ready to hold my luscious fillings, but then one day I thought I'd try anyway and you know what?  It was EASY.  That's right, all those years that I avoided mixing a little flour with a little butter and a sprinkle of water was for naught.  Mom was wrong.  Somebody had probably told her the same thing and they were wrong too.  The same holds true for artichokes.  Sure they look scary with their pointy leaves and thick, green stems and maybe the thistle is a pain to pluck out, but it can be done.  And make no mistake about it, once you have removed the tough outer leaves, clipped the remaining, dutifully scraped away the thistle and stuffed that glorious bulb, it will all be worth it!

     I love artichokes anyway I can get them, but my favorite is served at Carmine's in NYC.  Here is my version of that delectable wonder.  Enjoy!!!

Stuffed Artichokes - Carmine Style

2 globe artichokes (the BIG ones)
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 loaf of brioche (you can use any bread, but this one is decadent) - grated into crumbs
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese-grated

2 tbsp of minced sweet onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
5 basil leaves (fresh if you've got them)
1/8 cup olive oil

Prepare your artichokes by cutting the stem so that the bottom can fit flat in the pot. Remove outer leaves and cut 2 inches off top.  Remove thistle.  I do this by scraping with a spoon and using some muscle.  It might take a few tries, but hey, it's a good work out. Clip the rest of leaves until it looks nice--no brown ends and such.  Now stuff that bad boy with the above.  Place in large pot and pour the chicken broth in the bottom.  Drizzle top with olive oil until all is wet.  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  You can thank me later ;)

Chilled Blueberry Soup for those Hot August Blues

I will turn fifty-one in a few days and just got back from NYC for a birthday visit with my daughter, Stevie, who never lets me down when it comes to birthday celebrations.  This one was no exception; a dinner at Palma (with waiters that looked like Fabio) did not disappoint, and Stevie's general enthusiasm for all things New York kept me upbeat even when the weather turned gloomy.  August is my favorite month.  Perhaps because it holds my birthday, but also because the changes that take place in those thirty-one days are many.  We begin the month happily thinking about beach trips and summer vacations and a week or so later, we are on to purchasing (or at least planning to) school supplies and fall necessities.  In the midst of all this change we sometimes forget to just breathe and enjoy the moment.  Today, I did just that.  I started the day with a great hot yoga session, wrapped up an ending for an essay that was waiting, and looked in the fridge to see what I could create.  The blueberries beckoned and this is what came to me:

4 cups blueberries (fresh)
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cup of water
cinnamon stick

Place all in a pot and boil until blueberries pop.  Blend in processor until smooth.  Add 1 cup of greek yogurt.  Cool. Garnish with mint leaves and enjoy.

Young at Heart with Lemon Chicken

Last week I went on a trip to Disney World with my granddaughter,Kailyn, who is an adorable eight-year-old too smart not to notice that Tinker Bell flies over Cinderella's castle with a little help from a high-wire. It was an exhaustingly fun trip and I couldn't help but notice the vast differences between the way I enjoyed it this time versus the way I did when my kids were small and I was in my thirties. Basically, this time I was in bed WAY earlier and I was on my way to the parks WAY later, and when Kailyn asked for a third bowl of cereal and a day at the pool, on our last day, rather than heading to MGM Studios, I said yes. I did not try to convince her that she would be missing out on something great, although that may very well have been true, because nothing sounded better to me than lounging under a palm and watching her slide down the pool-slide for the fiftieth time instead of waiting in hot, long lines. As the trip ended, I conceded that I had lost some momentum, that age had slowed me down for sure, but I also congratulated myself on being that much smarter than my thirty-something self. I once made the recipe that follows for a large family crowd, at the spur of the moment, after my father-in-law's retirement celebration. In my thirties, I much preferred whipping up a dinner for twenty than dragging my kids to a restaurant. Back then, it was simply not a problem. Now, however, I am happily preparing it for only 2. Enjoy!

 Lemon Chicken (Organic)
 2 Free-range (and organic) boneless,skinless chicken breasts
 1/2 cup flour
 1/4 cup oil
 3 tablespoons of butter
 1 lemon
 1 egg
 1/2 cup half and half
 Slice the breasts in half (creating a thinner breast) and place between parchment paper. Pound thin with a mallet and dust in flour. In a bowl whisk an egg and 1/4 cup of the half and half and add 1/2 tsp of grated lemon rind and 1/2 of lemon juice. (save the other half of the lemon for later) Place each flour coated breast (one at a time) in lemon-egg wash and then coat with another layer of flour. Place in hot skillet with the melted butter and oil. This will cook fast because the chicken is so thin. You want to stand at the skillet and turn the meat as soon as it appears a golden tan. Place the chicken in a baking pan and top with 3 (very thin) lemon slices. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Take the other 1/4 cup of half and half and whisk to the skillet droppings. Pour over top. Reheat when ready to serve. I will have this with Capellini and an arugula salad, and I will not forget the wine!

Making Joy with Christmas French Toast

I was very blessed this Christmas to have all of my girls (my two daughters,Stevie and Niki, as well as my niece, Alana) come home and share a breakfast of Challah French Toast with a cranberry-orange syrup. I have always loved Christmas morning, but this years seemed almost magical. Perhaps it was because of the light frosting of snow that had fallen over the city creating a picture perfect postcard just out my apartment window, or maybe it was just knowing that after a year filled with immense change and risk taking, all was well and as it should be. Either way, this year I felt the gratitude for all of my blessings overwhelm me - especially the addition of my first grandson, Dylan. I hope all of you enjoyed your holiday this year as much as I, and wish everyone a very happy, and blessed new year. French Toast with Cranberry and Orange Syrup. For Syrup 3 naval oranges 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup cranberries 1/4 tsp cinnamon Squeeze the oranges juice into a small sauce pan. Place burner on medium heat, add sugar and cranberries and it simmer down into a thin syrup. For French Toast Slice Challah 1 1/2 inch thick Place in bath of 6 eggs whisked, 1 cup half/half, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Be sure to get both sides coated well. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter into hot pan, and sauté the French Toast on both sides, pressing down on bread while cooking. Place hot on a plate and top with 1 tablespoon of the hot syrup per piece. Enjoy!

Mussels Marinara: The Answer To My Writer's Block

This morning proved, for me, to be a start to one of those days where your intentions are good--very good, but for some reason or another procrastination and pondering set in and leave you sitting, starring at the blank page and pondering some more at 12:30 in the afternoon. My answer to moments of temporary crisis such as these is to go to my place of peace and get crafty. Hence, I walked into my kitchen and began to ponder some more, while rummaging through my pantry and refrigerator and whipped up a tasty dinner for tonight that has left an aroma sure to inspire. What follows is an easy, sure-fired recipe for a wonderful sauce that can be paired with pasta, or a good crusty piece of dipping bread. Please note, I only use organic ingredients to insure the best results! 1 Can of whole/peeled tomatoes (28oz) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup white wine 1 shallot-diced small 3 cloves garlic - chopped 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes 5 leaves of fresh basil 1 tsp of dried oregano 1/2 tsp of dried parsley 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup fresh cooked mussels Just sauté the shallot and garlic in the olive oil until soft (1-2 Min), add the red pepper and white wine. Pulse the tomatoes briefly or crush in hands (you want lumps) and add in basil, oregano, parsley and sea salt. Let sauce reduce by simmering for about an hour (the smell will be heavenly) add muscles and heat through for about 10 min. Enjoy with the rest of your white wine!

Celebrating Summer with Apricot Pie

I just returned from the beaches of Delaware with my oldest friend with a car loaded to the brim with fabulous finds from shopping outlets, but the very best find was in the local grocery store - a bag of fresh apricots. I have been waiting for these babies since reading Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me with Apples. Her recipe for the Apricot Pie that solidifies the end of a relationship with her husband, has been calling to me for the past two years. It is now in the oven, and if the smells are any indication of the taste, it will be heavenly. The beach trip that I shared with my friend was not the first, but it was a very special one where we took the time to truly celebrate life. She was the unfortunate victim of a very serious accident last July that has changed her life forever, and I am so grateful to be able to share our favorite spot once again this year. Friendship is a funny thing. We never know where or how it will bloom. For us the year was 1976 on the Pride of Baltimore during a field-trip in Middle School, where she was sent over to bully me for a mutual friend that I had an argument with, but somehow we became the best of chums instead, and to spite many, many trials and tribulations that life has delivered to the both of us, we have hung on to those first moments with a ferocity that has withstood the test of time. As Ruth's recipe bakes in my oven, I am reminded of the precious, delicacies that need our love, attention and protection if we hope to continue reaping their sweet rewards, and I am filled with gratitude for the beginnings of another wonderful summer filled with friends and family. The recipe is below for those of you who would like to share this with your loved ones...or for those who would just like to savor it while thinking about others ;) Apricot Pie 1 recipe of pie dough (I use 1 1/2 cup of organic unbleached flour, 1/4 cup of organic all vegetable shortening, and 1/8 cup of very cold water) 2 pounds of apricots 1 stick of butter (melted) 3/4 cup of sugar 3/4 cup of flour 1/2 tsp nutmeg Break apart cleaned and dried apricots with fingers, remove pits and place (unpeeled)in pie crust. Melt butter, and add sugar, flour and nutmeg. Spread mixture evenly over apricots. Bake 10 min at 400. 25 to 30 min more at 350.

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 :)