My Zen

It is so interesting to me how cooking has become so everything! I love to read recipes, I love to plan menus, I love to shop for ingredients, and, most importantly, I love to cook, especially for people that love to eat! It brings me so much pleasure that I seek it out regularly. There really is nothing better. And, as I get everything set up, pour a glass of wine, turn on the music, plan my serving dishes, I get giddy. It is my zen, my meditation, my happy place. And, I hope it stays that way for a long, long time. I have a lot Grandma's recipes to make. And, as I read over the recipe for dinner tonight, I got to thinking- I really do have a lot of recipes to make; a lot of recipes I want to make. And, then it hit me, with eyes watering, who will take over the recipes, this beloved box of memories and hopes and meals and love. What will become of all of this...sigh...some questions are best left unanswered for now...because, right now, I love to cook and I am cooking my grandmother's ratatouille. And friends are coming to dinner.

I decided to make ratatouille because I fell in love with the dish in Nice. Maria and I had an amazing vacation throughout France and Italy this last summer. One of my favorite spots was Nice.  Especially the outdoor row of restaurants. I remember thinking, how could I ever pick just one. And, will the one I pick be the best one?! The pressure of being a food snob! Well, Maria and I settled on one and dove into the menu. Very quickly, we both decided that ratatouille had to be on our plates. She ordered beef and I ordered fish, but the ratatouille was the best bite on the plate. The sweetest thing was that we were still in our suits from the beach. We felt like locals. And we were so happy. (The picture above says it all.)

My grandmother's recipe called for eggplant, tomatoes, onions, zucchini, and garlic. Basically, cut up each vegetable and brown in a saute pan and then add to a Dutch oven (I have a beautiful black Le Creuset Dutch oven that I am in love with). When everybody is in the pot, add salt, pepper, marjoram and thyme. Well, Maria didn't have any marjoram so that didn't make the recipe. But, I added lots of fresh thyme sprigs (which I removed when it was done cooking) and an extra clove of garlic (based on my taste). Let it all simmer for an hour. I finished it with drizzle of garlic olive oil.

I served it with a mustard crusted pork tenderloin with mustard sauce and gnocchi gratin with a gorgonzola dolce. It was a yummy meal with good friends.

By the way, the ratatouille was amazing and, in the midst of a bustling evening of laughs and stories, Maria and I were transported to Nice and our quaint table for two. A great food memory enjoyed again. And, as I sat at the table watching everyone laugh, taste and savor the dishes, I got to thinking- maybe, if I just keep cooking my grandmother's dishes and sharing them with the people I love, then they will love them too and they will be passed on and on and on...

as it stands~
guests- 3
emotions- love and loss
mistakes- none
meltdowns- just one, but one that pulled at the heartstrings
recipes- 1
recipes to date- 22

The Recipe

Ratatouille

1 eggplant, peeled and cubed
3 cups sliced zucchini
3 onions (I only used 2 because I thought it appropriate)
2 green peppers (not in my ratatouille, ha ha)
5 tomatoes
2 celery stalks (I omitted as well)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp marjoram

Saute eggplant in olive oil until brown. Put in a Dutch oven with garlic. Saute zucchini in oil. Repeat with onion, peppers, tomatoes and celery, adding oil as needed. Add all to Dutch oven with seasonings and cook, stirring, 10 minutes. Turn heat to very low, cover pot and simmer for 1 hour.

Per my grandmother's notes- You may add leftover meat. Freezes well.

Once upon a souffle...

Once upon a time a girl from the shore wanted to have a Halloween Party complete with cobwebs, fancy dishes, glittered pumpkins, bowls of candy, and a souffle. Not just any souffle, but her grandmother's butternut squash. And, to make it oh so perfect, the souffles needed to be in there own little dishes. But, as most fairy tales go, there has to be a "bad guy" and this tale was not unlike all others. This time the "bad guy" was disguised as a clock. Let's just call him- Time. Now, Time was a bit impatient (the irony of it all) and he wanted everything to be ready all together. But, the souffles were not having anything to do with being on schedule. They unanimously decided to be stubborn. And, the girl kept checking on them because she was worried about them. And, if there is one rule about souffles, it is this- DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THE BAKING PROCESS. Yes, that rule is a stickler, but the girl was trying to remedy the meal! I mean, who has a dinner party and tells everyone the first course isn't ready and it won't be ready for, well, an undisclosed amount of time! Let's just drink some more witches brew, aka red wine. As the wine flowed and people laughed, cute little hoodlums, princesses, football stars and witches smiled and asked the proverbial question, "trick or treat?" I said, "TREAT" in response. I got odd looks but I seriously wanted someone to cast a magic spell and "POOF" the souffles would be cooked! No such luck, just an emptier candy bowl!! So, in keeping with a tale, the girl had to go to plan B. Every good cook has a plan B! I knew the souffles rising celebration had left the building, but their flavor was sure to be in tact. Forge on and throw the other food on the stove and oven and serve course two first. Everyone finally sat to savor the roasted cauliflower with cumin, braised beef in red wine and caramelized brussel sprouts; however, when the souffle decided they were ready to play, they were the star! The flavor was amazing and the cute dishes were licked clean by all guests. They even out shone the pumpkin gingersnap ice cream I had made from scratch! I love how the fairy tale ended...everyone was smiling with full bellies, the wine was polished and a prince did the dishes! Thank you to Prince Ray!

The Sequel...because this tale needed one! ha ha

I decided to make them with the girls at the condo in Palm Desert. I couldn't let them be remembered in such bad light because of a girl in the shore who fought with Time. This was a better showing all around and, once again, the flavor was loved. But this time, they were a beautiful sight of puffed up goodness!

By the way, if you didn't already get the message, I should probably repeat it. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN WHEN THE SOUFFLES ARE BAKING!

as it stands~
guests- 12 plus 3
emotions- about a billion (it is a longer story then this little girl wants to share!)
meltdowns- same answer as above
mistakes- a big fat one
recipes- 1
recipes to date- 22

The Recipe 

Butternut Squash Souffle

2 cups cooked, mashed squash (I purchased a squash that looked to be about cups- not exactly exact, but it worked for me! ha ha Cut it in half lengthwise and rub with olive oil, place cut side down on cookie sheet and roast on 325 degrees for about 40 minutes to an hour. Take out and let it cool. When at room temperature, scoop all the goodness out. I did this the day before and stored in a container in the fridge.)
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 tsp grated lemon rind
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 chopped nuts (I didn't include)
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
dash of nutmeg
3 egg yolks, well beaten

Mix squash, syrup, lemon rind, seasonings and egg yolks. Fold in egg whites. Spoon into ungreased 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Set in a pan and fill pan with hot water almost to top of dish. Bake at 350 degrees until knife inserted comes out clean - about 1 1/2 hours. Garnish with a circle of nuts. Or can be baked in a 9" pastry shell for 50 minutes at 400 degrees.

Or, try my version and bake in ramekins at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes to an hour (time is dependent on how many you are cooking).Watch through oven window to monitor.

Some Kind of Crazy

Meshugeneh and MSG, what do they have in common? Both a little crazy. Let me explain- Meshugeneh is a nickname I gave Scotty, Wendy's son, when he was born. I was reading a book by a Jewish author and she had sprinkled Yiddish throughout her vignettes. I was enamored by one specific word- meshugeneh- which means crazy person. When Scotty was born and I looked at him, right then and there I knew he was my little crazy person. Now for MSG. Not really sure where to start with that one except for it being a banned/fearful/crazy ingredient that no one would touch. But, there it was in my grandma's recipe. Yup, neatly typed on the index card- 1/2 tsp of MSG. How crazy?? As soon as I saw it, all these hand-scribbled signs posted in Chinese restaurants popped into my head! "NO MSG!" Needless to say, I got a bit concerned. How was I to get around this one? I always wanted to follow the recipe (well, except for when it calls for green peppers!) But, clearly, it was not an ingredient anybody was wanting. So, I figured, my grandma would forgive this one indiscretion. For sure. Okay, enough about all the crazy. Let's talk about the fun!

It was Meshug's (of course, Meshugeneh had to turn into a nickname! ha ha!!) birthday and he had set ideas about how to celebrate and Auntie Jodi wanted to give him everything he wanted, right down to the round cake with another smaller round cake on top with Mike and Ike's sprinkled on top of it. (It was pretty cute!) He also wanted a taco bar complete with Mexican rice. This is where Grandma comes in.

I found a recipe for Mexican rice and got started on my "mis en place." I toasted the rice. I think this is the best part of making rice. It has such a nutty aroma and you just want to stick your whole head in the pot to take it in! And, you gotta love a rice dish because you just let it do it's thing.

When it was done, I did add quite a bit of chili powder and cumin. I love cumin. It is so fragrant and can completely transform a dish. I think the rice is a great base and can be seasoned in any fashion you prefer, mild to spicy.

By the way, Scotty's birthday party was a hit! I had covered the dining room in 'glow in the dark' green webs and black ribbon, complete with sparkly purple pumpkins. It was a howling good time, even if I took a million photos of him to get "the shot" for the blog. His patience during all the photo mania was his "thank you" to me for the birthday bash.

Happy Birthday, Meshugeneh, my favorite crazy person! I love you!

as it stands~
guests- 3
emotions- 1
meltdowns- 0
mistakes- none
recipes- 1
recipes to date- 21

The Recipe

Mexican Rice

1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp chopped green pepper (I omitted, of course!)
1 3/4 cup tomato sauce (I used a can versus a jar.)
3 cups of chicken stock, hot (I used vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian.)
1/2 tsp MSG (see, I told you it was here!!! But, I don't think you should use it because it is a bit controversial.)
2 cups raw long grain rice (I just used white rice.)

In a large pan, heat half the butter and saute the onions, garlic and green pepper until golden. Heat the rest of the butter in the same pan, add rice and cook gently until rice is well coated. Add tomato sauce, heat and add chicken stock. Cover and cook 20 minutes over low heat. Season.