"There are years that ask questions, and years that answer."- Zora Neale Hurston


 The other night I made a big ol pizza to celebrate life...and my acceptance into the University of Gastronomic Sciences in the Piedmont region of Italy! I'll be attending the school in March for a full year in pursuit of a Master in Food Culture and Communications. I'm only a bit excited. Once I arrive, this here lil blog will be shifting to all things Italian. No one hates it. In the meantime, here's a recipe for some tasty pizza dough.

  Victory Pizza  

This dough recipe is realll easy. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. In a small bowl, combine the yeast with warm water. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Like pasta, every pizza dough will be different. You may need to add in some extra flour if you find your dough is too sticky. Once you've reached a desired consistency, place yer lil bundle into another bowl that has been greased with olive oil and cover with a damp tea towel. Allow the dough to rest in a warm place for at least two hours.

Once your dough is well rested, you can roll it out on a floured surface and then transfer it to a pizza stone or cookie sheet. There are a bunch of toppings on these pizzas, which can be a great and a terrible thing. The key to crisp pizza (at least in my book) is to broil the pizza after the dough has finished baking and to limit the amount of wet ingredients you choose as toppings. This includes soft cheeses, watery vegetables, and excessive amounts of sauce. For the record, I was hungry when I made these so I put greedy amounts of cheese on each. They were not as crisp as they could have been, but they were still mighty fine.

I hope you try out this recipe and send some of your creations to Hallee. She'll devour them, and then she'll proudly display your underwear in front of house guests.

Recipe

2 c AP flour

1- 1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp instant yeast

1 c lukewarm water

1- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil for coating

     Tell the ones that need to know: we are headed North

    I'd like to formally apologize for a few things:

1. I'm sorry my posts have been so sparse lately. I'm basically hibernating by this time of year.
2. I apologize that I haven't been posting a ton of well-described methods and recipes; that time will come again.
3. I regret not initiating some type of 12-day cookie mini-blog. I guess I'll just do, like, a 9 day pickling thing in January. 

     Part of the reason why I haven't written in a while is due to some recent traveling. I spent the better portion of last week traveling to Cambridge, Boston and Portland, ME. Although I have visited Maine before, this was my first trip to Portland, and was I excited! So excited, in fact, that I only slept 5 hours prior to my 8 am bus to the Land of Port. Foolishness. Here are some of the things I did there that are definitely worth reporting. 

Bam Bam Bakery

Let's be serious, I'm not the first person to get excited about visiting gluten-free bakeries. However, it seems like everything offered up in Portland is just a little bit better than I expect it to be. Bam Bam was actually an impressive amount better than I thought it would be. My friend suggested I get a pumpkin whoopie pie with maple filling. I thought this was an odd choice until I remembered reading that Maine claims to have created the whoopie. Pennsylvania is also making this claim. If you look up "Liberty" in the dictionary, there's a picture of Rocky Balboa eating a whoopie pie. Case closed. We also bought a loaf of white bread which was sickening (read: fabulous) when toasted with copious amounts of budder. 

Boone's Fish House and Oyster Room

One of my maine objectives while visiting Portland (see what I did there?) was to obtain the tastiest of tasty lobstah rolls. I devoted an hour a few days before to finding the perfect joint. I was dead-set on going to Fishermen's Grill, but we took a detour and ended up at Boones. No one hates it. I ordered the L roll while my gluten-free companion requested the crab roll sans roll. What a trooper. What I got was an appropriate portion of lobster, lightly dressed in mayo, nestled in a bed of shredded iceberg, wrapped in a buttered split-top bun. I drowned the fries in malt vinegar and unapologetically decimated my plate.

(This is actually a picture from Fishermen's Grill. I ate my roll before I could manage a photo.)

The Speckled Ax

I don't normally get too uppity about my coffee selection. Give me some iced Dunks any day of the week and I'm a happy bear. That's not to say that I do not appreciate a responsibly sourced and excellently prepared cup of the stuff. The Speckled Ax had a small, albeit appealing selection. Unfortunately, I could only select one kind in decaf. To this I say, no matter. My iced single-origin coffee was probably one of the best I have ever had. Sorry, Dunks, I don't deserve you.

Gimme dat coffee!

I also obviously bought a butt-load of maple roasted nuts and candy to bring home. Portland exceeded my expectations and certainly deserves a visit if you're in town. If you're not, it's only a 1 1/2 hour bus ride from Boston, where I also ate tasty tacos at Dorado, some dank-per-usual fried rice from Brown Sugar, splendid sushi by FuGaKyu, addictive brioche from Tatte Bakery,  and boozy ice cream from J.P. Licks. All and all, I ate a bunch of great dishes and only gained a pound. Or two. Who's counting?

December, Baby.

A shout-out to all my internet honies: I hope your Thanksgiving was a smashing success! Mine was so successful that I've been in a food-induced hibernation ever since, leaving me unable to post anything. You'll be happy to know this bear has awoken and is back on track. I should probably start off slow and catch you up on all the tasty things that my Thanksgiving encompassed. 

Mmmmmm...pickled radishes. My preferred form for snacking on.

On to the dates stuffed with fontina and rosemary, which were then lightly sprinkled with sea salt.

Sue's corn pudding! My friend's mother's recipe was well received. 

Parker House rollz. Little, glorious pillows of joy.

Mom's pumpkin pie. Good thing she always makes two.

Buttermilk Pie! More like yogurt pie, amirite? Jokes aside, very good for a new addition. 

Ahh, the pear tart. Three desserts are enough for eight people, right? 

This, my friends, is a small sampling of our spread that should have been intended for a small nation. Alas, we are gluttons and enjoy exiting the dinner table via log roll. I'm going to throw a few recipes at yous guyz. Let me know if you want any of the other ones!

Recipes:

(This recipe for Parker House Rolls came from Bon Appetit and has not been adapted.)

• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

·      Whisk 1 envelope active dry yeast and 1/4 cup warm water (110°-115°) in a small bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Heat 1 cup whole milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just warm. Combine 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large bowl. Add warm milk; whisk to blend, breaking up shortening into small clumps (it may not melt completely). 

     Whisk in yeast mixture and 1 room-temperature large egg. Add 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough forms. Knead dough with lightly floured hands on a lightly floured surface until smooth, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

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     Preheat oven to 350°. Melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter in a small sauce-pan. Lightly brush a 13x9-inch baking dish with some melted butter. Punch down dough; divide into 4 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12x6-inch rectangle.

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     Cut lengthwise into three 2-inch-wide strips; cut each crosswise into three 4x2-inch rectangles. Brush half of each (about 2x2-inch) with melted butter; fold unbuttered side over, allowing 1/4-inch overhang. Place flat in 1 corner of dish, folded edge against short side of dish. Add remaining rolls, shingling to form 1 long row. Repeat with remaining dough for 4 rows. 

     

     Brush with melted butter, loosely cover with plastic, and chill for 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Bake rolls until golden and puffed, 25-35 minutes. Brush with butter; sprinkle flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) over. Serve warm.

     Pickled Radishes

     6 radishes, quartered 

     1/2 c rice wine vinegar

     1/2 c water

     1 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed

     1 tsp caraway seeds

     1 tsp salt

     celery leaves

     Mix all of the ingredients (sans radishes) in a vessel that has a lid and shake to combine. Add the radishes and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours. 

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco...

I need you to promise me that you won't have me committed for this one... I am attempting to clean up my eating habits right now...a week before Thanksgiving. I'd be the first to call myself a fool if it wasn't for one secret weapon: myfitnesspal. This glorious website takes all of the guess work out of getting in shape and is very simple to use. Trust me, I couldn't properly save word documents until college. Straight face. Anyway, the site includes many tools with which you can track your success, giving you the opportunity to set real goals and keep them. Here are some of my favorite features:

1. You can type in almost any brand name food item and a nutritional listing will appear. Generic items, like fruit or cheese, are also listed. Can't find what you're looking for? You can add the item to the database. This database is shared by all the members that use the site.

2. The program not only tells you how many calories you have consumed, but also other key players like carbs, sugar, and fat. That way, when you're thinking about eating that candy bar because you have calories left, you'll reconsider your sugar high.

3. The site starts by asking you some personal questions like how much you currently exercise, how much you weigh, gender, etc, and then will ask you how much you plan on exercising and how much weight you want to lose. It then calculates the amount of calories and exercise you will need daily to reach said goal. It will produce a goal date based on your promised exercise and average weight loss from people like yourself.

4. The exercise section allows you to input your exercise contribution and will then automatically add those precious calories back to your allotment. Be slightly wary of this section. I believe the calories burned that are listed are averages and may not correspond to your weight and height. To be safe, try and use machines that record your calories burned or find out how many calories your body type burns for specific exercises.

5. The best thing about this sight is the water icon. It reminds you that eight glasses a day keeps you healthy and offers a helpful visual to keep you on track. Something so simple as drinking water is sometimes forgotten; this little gem reminds me everyday. 

6. Although I have not used any, the site also lists tons of apps that can aid in your weight loss goals while on the go. 

I promise my next post will be about food, but for now, enjoy this little morsel.

When it rains, it pours...Apples

Sometimes you  have to deal with bumper crops with courage and just dive in headfirst. If it seems like I've already written 38 posts about apples, it's because I have. Is that really too much? Compared to what? Here's a secret- I really don't love apples that have been baked! I love eating them fresh, perhaps with some honey and peanut butter, but when they're cooked...hard to say. Apples have an odd way of drying out (for such juicy creatures) that is borderline repulsive to me sometimes. Carry on, Christian Soldiers. If your friends ask you to make apple things with them, you man up and commit. Here are some of the things I've been making.

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Pies, crisps, sauce, caramel...let's just say I'm going to start embracing other flavors soon. Here's a lil takeaway recipe:

Apple Sauce

Peel and dice 6-7 medium apples (I used Golden Delicious and Stayman Winesap). In a heavy pot, combine apples with 2 cups of water, a 1/4 cup of brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, a pinch of clove, and a small knob of butter. After the sauce has cooked down (about 45 minutes, but use your best judgement), take mixture of the heat and add a lil glug of vanilla. Consume.

You'd better cool it off, before you burn it out

Even though Fall masquerades as a lighthearted season, things can become stressful at a moments notice. When did Thanksgiving go from 10 to 23 people? Why is Christmas music playing in Walgreens? How did I misplace all of my coats? Was it the wrong choice to not return the extra Halloween candy? Insanity. Sometimes, we even manage to add more stress to our lives by making dumb-biddy choices, such as:
1. Frying the turkey while drinking 
2. Venturing out on Black Friday while still doped on tryptophan
3. Vowing to make everyone homemade treats for Christmas (let's be serious, not everyone appreciates flavored salt)
During these times of madness, I enjoy making things that I know always turn out nicely, if not beautifully. This weekend, I made Chai-Spiced Banana Bread for a dear friend and pesto with the last of the herbs before Jack Frost ate them. 

PESTO
Let me just make something very clear. I am not the authority on proper pesto making. I just think it's scrummy and I like making it with things that are on hand. This pesto happened to have basil, parsley, pecorino, cashews, garlic, and olive oil. In my eyes, a good pesto always has nuts or seeds that act as a binding agent, a bit of sharp cheese, garlic, and basil. The beauty of this sauce is you can combine most things together and they won't backfire on you. I pulsed all of these ingredients together in a food processor and drizzled in oil until I had a pleasing consistency. 

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Chai-Spiced Banana Bread

The banana bread ended up being a birthday treat for an old friend. Like pesto, banana bread can be made with an abundance of alterations that are usually tasty. To make this bread, I mashed the bananas, and then added the eggs, vanilla, and melted butter to the mix. Then I got an idea. I got a wonderful, awful idea. I tossed a chai tea bag into the butter that was browning. At this point my mother would say, "there goes the only chance that bread had". However, this choice actually worked in giving the depth I wanted. 

After I mixed the dry ingredients, I poured the wet mixture in and mixed with a spoon just til the two combined. The batter went into a greased, lined loaf pan and went in the oven for about half an hour (I ended up using a fatty pan, which would explain the short holiday in the oven).

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Recipes:

Bread (adapted from "Scientifically Sweet")

350 F 9x5 pan 50-55 min

3 large bananas, mashed

1 ½ cups (215 g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup (165g) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tbsp (56 g) melted butter, slightly cooled 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pesto

1 1/2 c basil

1/2 c parsley

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c cashews

2 Tbsp pecorino 

1 Tbsp minced garlic

salt and pepper

This is Halloween

Fun Fact: Halloween is my second favorite holiday, next to Christmas. The evening combines candy, theatre, and the mystical all into one, sporting event. I like to think that our commercialized version was inspired by some truly spooky and other-worldly happenings. That being said, I can't just celebrate Halloween for one night. I get together multiple costumes, decorate every bit of the house and the dog that I can, and, I watch movies. Tons of movies. Here is a list of ones I've watched recently, favorites, and ones that aren't really strictly Halloweeny, but they put me in the spirit!

1. Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)
If you're also a fan of this goofy hound and his scruffy owner, I think you'll enjoy this movie. Created in 1988, the flick definitely has a nice 80's vibe going on. As it was a made-for-tv movie, there are weird fade outs at awkward parts but it adds to the charm that is obviously apparent at an all-ghouls finishing school. When the gang sign on to be fitness instructors for the school, they realize Halloween has come early.

2. Halloweentown (1998) 

Ahhhhh, when the Disney Channel still put out decent live action movies. In case you need a refresher, Marnie and her siblings secretly follow their grandma home one Halloween evening only to discover that the bedtime stories she had told them where really about her hometown. The first of the films is certainly worth your time, Halloweentown II is questionable, as is Halloweentown High. Return to Halloweentown no longer has the original Marnie, and therefore no longer has my heart. 

3. Session 9 (2001)

I normally do not like horror films and this one was no exception. I watched it with my dad but still closed my eyes for the last third of it. The plot focuses on a team of asbestos experts who are hired to clean an abandoned insane asylum in Massachusetts (which was actually a real place until they tore it down for apartments...and those apartments mysteriously all caught on fire). The pacing of the film, however, is refreshing, and leaves you thinking about the story long after it has ended. I can see why it's a cult fave.

4. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

Who doesn't like the Peanuts? This animated television special shows Linus waiting on Halloween night for the Great Pumpkin to appear. Everyone else seems to think that this fantastic gourd is a big fake. Who's right? You'll just have to watch to find out, it's only 25 minutes long.

5. The Exorcist (1973)

I don't care what anyone says, the original stills scares the pants off me every time. With the plot focusing on a young girl named Regan who has become possessed by an unknown power, the amount of anxious blanket-gripping is high for this film. It's crass, violent, and all together so much more suspenseful than the slasher films we have today. Merrrrrrrrrrinn!

6. Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

My dad and I decided to give this one a chance post-Exorcist watching. The story takes place in Eastern Africa, with the insinuation that the evil that has begun to plague the land is from ancient Iran. This movie starts fast and has an unexpected pace, keeping it pretty spooky. All in all, not a horrible choice.

7. Hocus Pocus (1993)

I put a spell on you, and now you're mine! Does this movie even need an introduction? Hocus Pocus is the tale of three evil witches being brought back to life after a non-believer challenges the ancient spell to keep them buried. High-jinks, singing, and rad 90's fashion combine for a Halloween classic that without question deserves an annual viewing. 

8. The Wolfman (1941)

The original wolfman is a great classic to add to your collection. Classics aren't for everyone, but I love how the stories unfold. You slowly learn about the town and their superstitions which ultimately lead a non-believer right into the jaws of the beast! This is best watched with a pentagram nearby. 

9. Carrie (1976)

Scary Carrie. What a poor, misunderstood girl. The lead, Carrie, is a misfit that suddenly gets asked to prom by a super hottie and begins to realize that she has super powers. Here's a question- why do Carrie and her mother have southern accents? Some mysteries go to the grave.

10. Frankenstein (1931)

Another classic. Dr. Frankenstein is driven mad by the idea of having divine power and creates a monster with a murderous mind. The lack of humanity in this film is almost scarier than the idea of a creature made from hangmen and lab parts. Obsessed with the idea of destruction for creation, who is the monster and who is the man?

11. Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit (2005)

The crazy duo are at it again. This time, the brits are humane exterminators that discover a monster is destroying the town's prized vegetable crops right before the annual Veg Fest. A bit of cheddar and sleuthing bring the team face to face with the critter in question. 

12. Dracula (1931)

I may or may not have thought this was scary due to my very rational fear of Vampires. We start out in a foreign land only to have the story shift to the streets of England (per usual). In no time at all the citizens of London are being attacked by an assailant that seems to just disappear into the midnight sky. If only they knew!

13. The Halloween Tree (1993)

Originally a book, this movie that Cartoon Network aired is probably (sorry, Hocus Pocus) my favorite Halloween movie of all time. Pip, the best boy that ever lived, mysteriously becomes ill on his favorite night of the year. His four friends make an unsettling deal with a sketchy old man who offers to help them find Pip while showing them the true meanings of Halloween. Whatever you do, make sure you watch this movie this year. Make me proud. 

Others to Note:

Psycho 

The Shining

Alien(s)

Young Frankenstein (a comedy with Gene Wilder)

Nightmare Before Christmas 

An Italian Affair

     I really do enjoy baking seasonally; there's something ungodly about a pumpkin pie in June. However, sometimes you just have to go against the tides and play nature. I froze cherries from the summer and planned on making some ice cream with them later in the year (like in February when you can no longer eat citrus as your only form of fruit). As I was deciding what kind of a cake to make for my mom's birthday, the cherries resurfaced in the freezer, a premonition from a higher power. Almonds and cherry are a classic combo which is also mom-approved. I was off to the races until I encountered this...

Cherry-Almond Cake

I searched high and low for marzapane, and for what? This. This little can of "almond filling" was the closest thing I could find. I tried shaking it to see how viscous it was but was uncomfortable as I was being watched...you do you, I do me, store-keeper. When I opened it, it was more loose than marzapane, but what could I do? I was in deep.

This part was delightfully simple. I just added the butter, almond filling, sugar, and vanilla into a stand mixer and mixed until it was smooth. I then added the eggs, one by one, followed by the flour and baking powder, which I folded in. Lastly, I added the halved cherries. I divided the batter into two 9-in pans that were well greased. This is the finished cake. The almond filling did not result in mutant cake babies. 

Pastry cream time. Awwwww yea, look at that cream, and so easy to come by. This glorified pudding is a snap to make. You bring the milk and the vanilla bean to a boil. In the meantime, you combine the cornstarch, sugar, and salt together in a large heat-proof bowl. Add the eggs one by one into the heat-proof bowl until incorporated. Temper the egg mixture by slowly adding 1/3 of the milk, while whisking, into said bowl. Now add the egg mixture back into the pot to bring to another boil. I strained my mixture at this point to ensure against lumps and chunks but you don't need to. Once the mixture comes to a boil, you only need to cook it for a minute or two. Take the thickened mixture off the heat and slowly add the cold butter. Put that gem away for later.

Now we layer. Carefully slice each cake in half horizontally, yielding four cake disks in total. I took prepared cherry jam and added some water to it to make it easier to spread. Then the cream goes on.

It can be a hot mess because you're going to cover up your mistakes with icing! 

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To make the icing, combine two room-temperature sticks of butter with three cups of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Ice Ice, baby.

Yay, all of your imperfections have been covered up with buddah.

My family said this was the best cake I've made to date. I have a coconut cake floating around in my memory that has that honor, though.

Recipes

Cake:

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson's "How to be a Domestic Goddess")

350 F 40-50 min.

1 1/2 sticks butter

9 oz. marzapane (or my jenky can)

3/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla 

6 eggs

1 c and 1 tbsp flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pastry Cream:

(Adapted from "The Professional Pastry Chef" by Bo Friberg)

1 pint whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean

1 oz. cornstarch

4 oz. sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 oz. butter

Icing:

2 sticks of softened butter

3 c powdered sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

milk, as needed

A Bushel and a Peck

     October is such a tease. The morning and evenings are chilly, but the days are glorious and bee-filled, perfect for outdoor activities. This weekend was the ideal backdrop for apple-pickin and eatin. Mostly eatin. We wanted to pick Jonathan apples for  our treats, but the hayride was too short. How often do you ride on hay? If you're me, you do not, because you're allergic to grass. I digress. Anyway, we picked the tractor that went to the golden delicious field, which was also by the stayman-winesap trees. I'm not gonna lie, we tasted the latter to make sure they were a good addition to the goldies. They were! After picking up some apple cider ( when it rains, it pours), we went back home and baked the fruits of our labor.

Apple Upside-Down Cake & Apple Crumb Pie

Classic crust action. Cut the cold fat into the flour, sugar, and salt. Slowly add the cold water and bring the dough together. I lost my pastry blade so I worked quickly. My paws get pretty warm. Put that away while we make all the other things.

Now you can peel all of your apples, but not with this. This is the destroyer of dreams. If you're into fiber, you don't have to peel them, but I think the overall effect is better peeled. 

Cake time. Not pictured: the 9-in cake pan that butter was melted in, and was then sprinkled with brown sugar and grated ginger, which replaced the crystallized ginger called for. The apples were then artfully arranged on top. Next, cream the butter and the sugar and add the rest of the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and lightly mix to combine. Pour over the arranged apples.

Back to pie. Mix the spices, flour, lemon juice, sugar, and apples together. The recipe calls for cornstarch, but mamma always says flour (1/4 c) goes with apple. We actually made all these treats as offerings to the gods so the Birds would win. Strategic. 

Now the pie goes in at a higher temperature for half an hour, NAKED. After the half hour has elapsed, you can cap ya pie with its oatmeal crust. To make the crust, simple cut the butter into the flour, oats, brown sugar, spices, and salt. We added a little water to make more of a spaceship shield. We also doubled the crumb recipe because we're fat.

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Both can now go into the lower temperature oven for half an hour.

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After consuming this plate with a mug of apple cider, I have to say, I've never felt more like a lumberjack. 

Recipes

Pie (adapted from Ken Haedrich's "Pie")

400 F-375 F 30 min. each

Crust:

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c cold butter, diced

1/4 c cold shortening

1/4 c cold water

Filling:

7 c sliced apples

1/3 c sugar

juice and grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Crumb(this is the doubled recipe):

2 c flour

1/2 c rolled oats

1 1/3 c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 c butter, diced

Cake (adapted from Raymonde Bourgois' recipe in Taste of Home Sept/Oct)

375 F 30 min.

Apples:

1/4 c butter, cubed

1/4 c brown sugar

1 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger

2 large apples, peeled and sliced

Batter:

1/2 c butter, softened

2/3 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c 2% milk