Hallo-weird!

What is the strangest (or most interesting) thing you’ve ever received while trick-or-treating?

3 Recipes for Candy Corn Lovers

With Candy Corn Day today and Candy Day just a few days away, this is our lucky week. Even though to many, candy corn is like the ugly duckling of the Halloween candy bowl, it is one of our favorites.

The most sincere love of all

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”

-George Bernard Shaw

Fall Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Pasta Salad

Pumpkin pie is not the only way to enjoy pumpkins. Pumpkin pie is, of course, a fall favorite, but when you want something different, yet still inspired by the fall foliage, roasted pumpkin for lunch or dinner will do just the trick.  Roasting them is a great alternative. You can enjoy pumpkins without a pie overload (and weight gain).  If you’re already pumpkin-ed out, you can try this recipe with your favorite squash.

Thanksgiving Jitters

How far in advance do you start planning for Thanksgiving? Is it ever too early?

Eating intelligently makes all the difference

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”

-La Rochefoucauld

Cookbook Preview: Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well by Sam Sifton

That time of year is upon us once again. Just a few short weeks ago, it was iced teas and summer salads, enjoying the hot, sunny days of eating outdoors, and cooking light recipes for friends.  Now, it’s the time to come indoors and take on the daunting task of planning and preparing Thanksgiving dinner for our guests.

Will the turkey be frozen when I slice it at the table? Will the stuffing be dry? Who’s going to wash all these dishes? Thankfully, Sam Sifton, former New York Times restaurant critic, has come to our rescue by compiling a well thought-out holiday game plan with his new highly-anticipated book Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well.

Sam Sifton has taken the panic attack out of preparing Thanksgiving dinner and has provided us with a step-by-step, easy-to-read 50 recipe guide covering everything from the proper knives and tools, to cleaning up as you cook to eliminate a pile up of dishes, to that awaited leftover turkey sandwich. Because, lets face it— you will need fuel for Black Friday shopping.

For many people, the turkey is the centerpiece—the pride and joy of the dinner table. Days (or maybe even months) before Thanksgiving, the fear of picking the wrong turkey comes over us.  According to Sifton, being able to distinguish between fresh, frozen, Kosher, free range, organic, and heritage is all you need to understand how to pick the perfect Thanksgiving bird. Knowing the basics will help everyone, from the cook hosting his or her first Thanksgiving to the experienced entertainer.

There are several things in the book that will help me in the next couple of weeks, and there are great recipes I plan on adding to my menu this year (the roasted cauliflower with anchovy bread crumbs, for one).

We’ve included a preview of one of Sam’s great recipes in Thanksgiving:How to Cook it Well. Take a look at this pear cobbler dessert recipe; it is sure to wow your holiday guests.

Pear Cobbler Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 lbs. pears, peeled and cored, then cut into wedges (6–8 medium- sized pears will do it)
• 1⁄2 cup plus 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp. diced candied ginger (optional)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1⁄2 tsp. salt
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1⁄2 cup whole milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 9- inch cast- iron skillet or 8- inch square baking dish. Place the fruit in a large bowl, and add 1⁄2 cup sugar and the lemon juice and zest. Gently mix until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to the skillet and top with candied ginger, if using.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add the butter and, using a fork, work it together with the dry ingredients until the mixture is coarse. In a separate bowl, stir the egg and milk until combined. Pour over the flour and butter mixture and stir to combine into a smooth
dough.

3. Using your fingers, place clumps of dough the size of golf balls on top of the fruit mixture, pressing down slightly to create a rough- textured, cobbled crust. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and bake until the top is golden brown, about 30 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

** Picture and recipe from Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton. Copyright © 2012 by Sam Sifton. Excerpted with permission of Random House, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. **

#MeatlessMonday: 5 Ingredient Lentil Salad

Every now and then you come across something that you can’t stop eating– something so good and unique that after you have it once or twice, you tell everyone you know.  It’s a domino effect of deliciousness that slowly spirals out of control until you find yourself eating this new craving by the spoonfuls. I eat this quick and easy 5 ingredient lentil salad by the box full.  

When I first tasted this lentil salad, the abundance of flavor had me convinced that it contained a ton of ingredients. I was thinking something red like tomato or roasted pepper, and I swore there was also some type of Italian dressing. The first bite brought me to the realization that although I can live without lentils, I can’t live without having this lentil salad.

Let’s be honest, no one really has time to pick through and cook lentils, so don’t feel guilty about buying pre-cooked ones from your local supermarket.  With the time you save by using pre-cooked lentils, you’ll have all the more time to enjoy this tangy lentil salad, scooped onto a pita chip or served as a side dish with your next entrée.  

Bonus: you can make this recipe for $20 or less. 

Lentil Salad Recipe

Ingredients

1 package cooked lentils
1 container Mediterranean style crumbled feta cheese
1 small onion, minced
juice of 1 whole lemon
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Mix together and enjoy with pita chips or as its own side dish.

Note: Make 1 day in advance to allow the lemon juice to “cook” the raw onions. 

 

Lidia’s Recipe: Butter and Sage Sauce

Keeping in the spirit of celebrating Lidia Bastianich’s 9th cookbook “Lidia’s Favorite Recipes: 100 Foolproof Italian Dishes,” I decided that for my dinner this week, Italian would be it!

With so many delicious directions to go in for my dinner, I mixed my crazy craving for ravioli with one of Lidia’s butter and sage sauce. This 3 step sauce, suited for dishes ranging from coating fluffy gnocchi to drizzling over seared fish and or meats, accompanied my ravioli perfectly.

Was the sauce good you ask? Well, I made the full recipe which stated that I would have enough sauce for one pound of pasta. After tasting the finished sauce, I recommend that you double this recipe, the sauce is so good you might cry when you run out! I’m definitely looking forward to making more recipes from this cookbook soon

Have you tried any of Lidia’s recipes?

The New Yorker Festival Recap

Recently, a few of the Cookbook Create staff members headed out to The New Yorker Festival, a weekend long series of lectures,
talks and performances from notable figures including musicians, authors, politicians and television stars.