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 :)

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!