Making Focaccia Today

I was browsing the Pizza Quest website yesterday for some pizza dough ideas and I happened upon a focaccia recipe.  So, I started the dough last night and put it in the baking sheets this morning.  I must admit, I mistakenly added too much water - distraction is a saboteur! - so I doubled the recipe.  I can't wait to top these and get them into the oven. 

There is no stretching of the dough in making focaccia. It's all in the fingertips, ever so gently coaxing the dough, over 60 minutes' time, to the corners of the tray and letting it rise for a few hours. 

The toppings will be: caramelized onions with blue cheese & walnuts, goat cheese with bacon, and pan roasted broccoli sautéed with garlic, pepperoncini & olive oil with Locatelli cheese. 

I'm going to do half of one tray with the goat cheese/bacon & the other half with the blue cheese/onion/walnut and the other tray all broccoli & Locatelli. 

Pictures at my Francie's Fancies Facebook page here.

Winter Comfort Foods

After a day of blowing snow, howling wind, a trip to Harrisburg and back, it was time to do some work around the stove to warm my bones!  I couldn't decide on pasta e fagioli or black eyed peas with ham hocks.  Since I could not make up my mind I decided to make both.  In the photo below you can see the saute pan on the stove and the crock pot on the counter.  Since I was starting with dried black eyed peas I decided to make them in the crock pot for 8 hours on low.  Because the black eyed peas and ham hocks would taste great the longer they sat, I made the pasta e fagioli for dinner tonight. We'll have the peas one night during the week and I'll make some cornbread. 

I ALWAYS have canned beans and macaroni in my pantry. Always. Even if I don't make pasta e fagioli for a year, I know the items are there for the making...just in case...

I found a small container of mirepoix in the freezer so I added it to the saute pan, cooked it until it was deeply colored and created fond. Macaroni and beans can be pretty bland, so the added flavor of the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil and butter would add a good flavor base.  

  

Once my veggies were well done I added two cans of drained and rinsed Goya Cannellini Beans.  I really like Goya canned beans.  I buy their dried beans as well, but their canned beans are very tasty and firm. Their firmness holds up well in cooking as they don't turn to mush. I sauteed the beans for a bit, letting them absorb that great flavor from the veggies and the oils. I also seasoned them lightly with freshly ground black pepper and dried oregano. See how nicely the Goya beans held up? They are creamy goodness!

Meanwhile, I had elbow macaroni cooking in a heavily salted pot of water (it should taste like the ocean). I slightly under-cooked them and then added about 2/3 of a pound of the macaroni to the beans.

Here's a shot of the mixture, all getting along so nicely!  As most cooks (should) do, I taste while cooking and I decided it needed something... so I opened my refrigerator, pulled out some shelves and found what I was looking for! I had made sauce earlier in the week and determined that my pasta e fagioli needed some good old marinara sauce for acidity and a flavor boost.  So I added a spoon or three...

And then I added a few ladles-full of the macaroni water.  It is always good to add some of the pasta water to your dishes. It helps the sauces to stick to the macaroni and adds a nice creaminess to the sauce.  I then stirred it all together and with the added marinara it was so flavorful.  My marinara is made with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. The garlic added just the right amount of flavor.

And here is the finished dish! I spooned it into a little bowl and added freshly grated (absolutely never pre-grated) Locatelli cheese. PERFETTO!  A creamy, savory, warm bowl of love... il mangiare è pronto!

Mangia e statti zitto!

A quick & delicious Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake

I found this recipe today and it appealed to me because I had all the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator. I got home from work, made dinner then made this cake. It is delicious! And my house smelled great while baking as the cinnamon and sugary aromas permeated the kitchen.  While it was still hot from the oven I poured the glaze over the top and it seeped into all the nooks and crannies in the top caused by swirling the brown sugar-cinnamon-butter mixture throughout before baking. 

Here it is in the required 9x13 pan.  Doesn't it look tasty?! Believe me, it is!

And here's the piece I served my husband.  He was impressed and thought it was most excellent!  Especially that it was still warm from the oven.  I think that's key, having a warm piece of cake that's soft and just the right temperature to make it "cozy comfort food."  This evening's chilly, damp, windy weather called for a nice hot treat.

If you like cinnamon buns or rolls you will love this cake.  Adding nuts and/or raisins would definitely add another level of tasty goodness! 

Herewith, the Recipe from Just a Pinch:


Cinnamon Roll Swirl Cake Recipe

Good Morning!

I had to have a root canal yesterday and was given two apap/codeine pills by the dentist to use in case of pain. I took one when I got home while I was still a bit numb to take the edge off of the anticipated pain.  There's nothing worse than tooth pain except foot pain.  The teeth and the feet.  When they hurt the entire body is in pain!

Anyway, I had a "reaction" to the apap/codeine pill.  I have NEVER had a reaction to meds before and this was very scary and I thought I was going to have a heart attack! My upper stomach around to my middle back was KILLING ME! Much worse than any tooth pain would have, that's for sure! I was honestly afraid for a while, trying to figure out what was going on! I surmised that I hadn't eaten anything for at least 7 hrs and the pain in my stomach was due to the medication being taken on an empty stomach.

My daughter was a great help, she helped me downstairs as I was a bit groggy from the stupid codeine and she heated up some Trader Joe's tamales for me which were probably the best thing I had ever eaten at that moment! They soothed my stomach and made me feel much less groggy and fuzzy-headed. Then I drank about a gallon of water and was well on my way back to normal health.

Unfortunately, this episode brought to my mind my recent experiences of having reactions to common foods that I LOVE!  Namely, these:

Red Onions are just about my favorite salad/burger topping!  I love red onions!

  

 

Cucumbers are another favorite salad topping. I could eat cukes by themselves, I love their freshness and "green" flavor!

Bananas! My #2 favorite fruit of all time, after apples!  I'm so distressed at not being able to eat anything with bananas, they are so versatile and delicious! 

And now, add apap/codeine. Which I really don't care about, they taste horrible and who wants to have a fuzzy brain? But they do take the edge off pain... Still, there are other painkillers and I rarely ever take any painkilling meds unless I'm having dental work, which is occurring with more frequency now that I'm getting... ahem... older :-\

So, I'm wondering what all of the above have in common that are causing me such horrible, debilitating stomach aches/pains.  My internet research thus far has yielded no useful info. I did learn that many people with banana allergies also have allergies to latex. I don't.

The investigation continues...

Hello, it's me...

It's been years... yes... years, but I'm back.  I no longer live in NJ, I'm in Central PA.  It's been taking some getting used to, but I really like living here. It's so quiet, so peaceful, the people are polite, kind and friendly. 

Yes, life sure does change quickly but sometimes the hell we go through brings us to a pretty good place.  And here am I.

When I have a while, and when you have a while, we'll chat about what's been happening. 

Until then, enjoy your day/evening/night.

Sunday Traffic in Central PA

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Such a beautifully written book by Kate DiCamillo, illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline. She touches the heart with a story about heart. Edward is a vain china rabbit and his journey is a miracle. A miracle in which we who choose to love others must take in this life.  

I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. Simple, heart-warming and intriguing, I couldn't put it down. I actually read it in one afternoon; it took about two hours with a nice pot of tea to keep me warm on a gloomy rainy day. I definitely believe this book will become a classic, it is such a treasure!

Please, read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. 

Whoopie for whoopie pies!

I have never had a whoopie pie... until last night. Can you say mmm...mmm...good? Oh boy, they are good. And they are NOT made with shortening. No way. Ick. Instead, I found this recipe from the NY Times and I made them last night. I'd say anyone could make these. They are a bit time consuming as you must plan to take the butter out and make sure you have buttermilk, but then everything is put in the trusty stand mixer and off you go! Oh, and you have to use a double boiler, too. But then it's a breeze! Really. You must try this recipe. Delicious!

After mixing the ingredients here they are on the baking sheets. I used a small (less than a 1/4 cup) ice cream scoop (I have no idea what # it is, I just know I have a large and a small and I used the small one). The recipe says to use a large scoop to make regular sized pies but I decided that we really didn't need to eat such large pies so I made the executive decision to make them smaller. (I'm so bossy!) That little blob on the bottom baking sheet was for me to "taste test" when they were cool :)

And here they are all done! The recipe made 12 small pies. Just the right size, a couple of bites each. Perfect!

And the little blob I baked to taste test? It was good.

Herewith, the recipe link:

Whoopie! Cookie, Pie or Cake, It's Having Its Moment

Ahhh... A Manhattan Special!

I remember as a child walking to the K & K, which was the neighborhood luncheonette on the corner of Monroe & Market Streets, and purchasing an ice cold Manhattan Special. Nothing quenched the thirst on a hot summer day like a Manhattan Special, which was purchased for a quarter. The guy behind the counter would open the bottles for us and we'd take off - back to the park on Cherry St. to continue our games of Chinese jump-rope, Johnny-on-the-Pony, stickball, tops, handball, or just walking around the block a few times while sipping our soda and talking about the boys.

I paid $1.39 for this bottle. One sip takes me back to NYC, any summer between 1965 and 1970. Even when we spent the summers in Long Beach, you could find a bottle of Manhattan Special in any deli in NY. Through the years it was difficult to find but now it's making a comeback in specialty stores and high-end food markets and can even be purchased online.

The espresso flavored soda will always be about NYC and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where it's still made today.

CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson

I've just read the last page and gently closed the back cover on the story of Sal (Isabel) of Rhode Island.  What a gripping story!  Chains is a work of historical fiction by the author of Speak and Fever 1793.  A wonderful author whom I discovered while working as a library assistant in our local elementary school.  The age level is 10 and up.  I would say a very high 4th grade reader would be able to read this book, although it would take quite some time as the story is deep and emotionally complex.  I found myself reflecting on Sal's feelings, her experiences as a child slave in 1776 New York, owned by Loyalists, spying for rebels, carrying messages, mistreatment at the hands of her master's wife.  

This is definitely a book that should be discussed with your child as there are a few disturbing scenes -- such as when Sal gets branded on her face, and when her friend Curzon is imprisoned and the conditions are revolting, as you can imagine. 

The story is brought to life by the descriptions of the author.  You can feel the sweltering heat of the summer and the bitter cold of the winter through Sal's thoughts.  Her pain and sorrow, her fears and courage.  She is a strong, bold character and you will find yourself cheering for her and encouraging her throughout the story.  Many times I found myself exclaiming out loud, "Oh, no!" or "Oh, good!" to the amusement of my family.  

I thoroughly enjoyed Chains and I encourage everyone to read this interesting step into the history of our country and how it affects a courageous young girl.

Taking Stock of "Taking Woodstock"

Last night my daughter and I went to the preview for Taking Woodstock, a "comedy" directed by Ang Lee, starring Dimitri Martin (who?), Eugene Levy, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, etc. The movie was based on the novel of the same name by Elliot Tiber. I was 13 years old for most of 1969. I remember the mid 60's to the early 70's as being one of the best times in my life for music. Was ANY of that music of the day in this movie? NO! Except for about 60 seconds of Hendrix's guitar, I didn't recognize or care to remember ANY of the music of the movie. And the acting? Couldn't they find a REAL actor with acting skills to play Elliot? Imelda Staunton's character was so vile, evil, wicked, loathsome, filthy and greedy, I couldn't stand when she was on screen. Eugene Levy played Max Yasgur and he was on screen for about 5 minutes total. There went the so-called "comedy." And he wasn't funny. Not at all. Jeffrey Dean Morgan played a self-loathing homosexual. Need I say more? Oh, yes, I do! The full-frontal nudity throughout was unnecessary and gross. Do I really want to see tallywhackers and boobies bobbing about while their owners frolic through grass and the lake? I think not. Even the 'psychedelic' scene was LAME. Across the Universe was so much better and I didn't love that movie. Don't waste your money or time.