Perfect Cheese Straws, My Trip to Norway (part 1), and a Giveaway

The sweet team at Cup of Jo asked me to guest blog during their month of easy-peasy appetizer features, and when I thought about fantastic-tasting treats to whet the appetite, puff pastry inevitably entered my brain. Especially because the results are SO good without a huge amount of effort (unless you made that puff pastry yourself…next week).

This version is seasoned with cayenne and nutmeg and finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. YUM. I made a quick harissa mayonnaise for dipping, but these cheese straws are just as good all by themselves. Full recipe and more drool-worthy images, here.

With only a few tools needed and many options for toppings, making these cheese straws is a cinch. Let the party begin!

As detailed in this story's title, there's also a giveaway going on. Please scroll down for more news on that….

You may or may not know that I just returned from a breath-taking trip through Norway. And, a way-too-brief stop-off in Amsterdam. Seriously, you cannot imagine the intense beauty of the landscapes in Norway until you have seen them for yourself. Now I can knowledgeably mark the must return to points when I have more time to get lost and explore, as well as offer solid recommendations should you find yourself going that way!

I've been quite busy since the return. Sorting the gajillion images will take time, but here is a first glimpse -

this quiet, mesmerizing abode, on the coast in Aurland

first night's stay during my solo tour, in Voss

hairpin turns along a fjord hike in Aurland

rainy day means a gorgeous still life at the Oslo bric-a-brac market

beautiful spent fern stems

I fell in love with the austere wildness of Finse. At 1222 meters above sea level, it's the highest elevation in all of Norway

from a train window, passing through Finse

later in the trip...see that little red cottage off to the left? that's the same as the above from the train window

long blown grasses, wet with raindrops 

wild tundra blueberries, juicy and sweet

a kind of chanterelles, chosen by Ilse at the market for that night's dinner

Reviewing these brings me back a little. How wonderful it all was. I plan on writing about each aspect of the adventure, so stay tuned for more photos and their stories…

And now for the giveaway. Which is actually THREE giveaways, so everyone has a greater likelihood of winning something! :D

The folks at GIR gifted me a variety of their just-released and not-yet-released (!) kitchen tools, and I am pairing them with a few latest yummy books sent my way. The ladle and handy spatula speak for themselves, but the geometric-patterned lid in the center is new and super cool. It makes cellophane or other means to seal a bowl or other container unnecessary, creating its own vacuum to preserve and store food. And comes in all kinds of cool sizes. I'm using a few right now and I'm liking the results.

Mason Jar Salads is great for anyone on the go who doesn't feel like compromising on real food's flavor and nutrients. Great tips, attractive and delicious mixes to add to your repertoire, there's a lot to love here.

100 Days of Real Food brings kids to the proverbial table, sharing whole food recipes which score points with both kids and adults alike. Lisa also guides readers on how to source real foods - for seasonality, too - at your local grocery.

Camille Styles is hot off the presses - today is the launch, in fact! In her self-titled book, find inspiration page-after-page, with beautiful photography of food, home, garden, and more.

Which set speaks to you?

In order to win, please follow me on Instagram if you're not already, and leave a comment below telling me 1. What foods from my blog inspire you most (whether you've made them or not isn't as important, but I would love to know that too!) and, 2. Which set here you'd like, should you win! If you tag me in comments on Twitter or share on Facebook, your name will be added again for each extra mention. Thanks!

To be eligible, you must live in the US and add your comments by 11:59 EST, Monday November 17th.

I cannot wait to send these goodies to new homes!

It is wonderful having you join me along the adventure. Stay tuned - my newest story with Anthology arrives Friday, and a there's a bunch of work in print to share. And Norway. More divine and wild Norway….. xo

Provencal Fish Stew, Ribollita, Ginger-Daikon Chicken Stew, and Pork with Porcinis and Cream: New Features at The New York Times

As you may guess from the title, I am eating as well as ever. I was tasked with cooking, styling, and photographing these soothing winter recipes, and I love each.

Really, please take the time (which isn't much at all, as it turns out) to make these recipes. The first story, by one of my heroes, Mark Bittman, is a totally no-nonsense bit and each is deceptively easy to prepare. Do it. The pork with porcinis isn't any more difficult. The rewards will show themselves immediately.

Some great photos which didn't make the final cut....

One which did make the cut - and one of my favorites. Glowing gorgeous chicken stew, you...

And the pork - lentil - porcini - slab bacon - celery - cream recipe.... need I say more?

I enjoyed these recipes immensely and it didn't hurt that two rounds of snow hit Alabama - aka the snowpocolypse - while working on them. Oh, the good eating.

If you prepare any please let me know what you think, or, if you have any favorites. I've had a difficult time deciding.

We all want spring to hurry up and make its way on the scene, but if we have to suffer in the cold, there's no better food than stuff like this! 

Chinese Chili at The New York Times, Leading Ladies at Birmingham Magazine

I am producing some exciting new stories with the New York Times, one of which debuts today.

Somehow the writers managed to marry the Chinese New Year with the afterglow of the Superbowl in a story about warming Syrah. I prepared, styled, and photographed this recipe which ties them nicely together. And it is quite warming; great for the northeast which is still being hammered by snowfall, as well as my hometown, where my parents report record-breaking snows... It would have been quite at home too with the Snowpocolypse the South experienced a week ago.

Here are a couple of my favorite outtakes, and the link to the full story.

Here in Birmingham the February issue of Birmingham Magazine is out and it looks really good. My photography is of three prominent women who laid the groundwork towards the recovery of this fair city. It looks gorgeous, if I do say so myself. Here they are:

May the contributions along my journey resemble - even a teeny bit - the accomplishments of these women.

Right now I am working on a wonderful recipe for my next Anthology feature. Here's a peek...

Look forward to it soon... :)

Comfort and Good Food in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

No one could have guessed just how greatly people would be affected by superstorm-frankenstorm-latest-climate-change-disaster-Hurricane Sandy. I am fortunate in my neck of the woods to have only sustained numerous fallen trees. We are so grateful to have our lives intact.

Photos courtesy of Jim Lafferty

On Tuesday as everyone began to pick up the pieces, we drank with a wonderful woman who had lost pretty much everything. Her home was swallowed in a fire that leveled much of her block. She swam across the street against the strong current to safety - with the help of a rope anchored to a house there - leaving behind a wonderful bean stew she'd been cooking on her stove, along with everything else in her home.

Yesterday, I spent the day baking cookies for relief victims. Home cooking makes such a difference in times of intensity. With my famous rosemary-sea salt-shortbread cookies and new double chocolate chunk cookies in tow, along with bags of supplies, prepared foods, clothing, and the like, my husband and I borrowed a friend's car and made drop-offs at two relief centers in Brooklyn. I wish I could have made 10 times as many, seeing faces light up at the offer of freshly-baked treats. It was one way in which I could begin to mend the frustration and loss that so many people now face.

(For recipes, scroll to bottom)

To weather the storm, we stocked our pantry well. On-hand was plenty of wine, prosecco, tequila, and the like, and I made toasted hazelnut & dried cranberry granola, easy guacamole, and an all-time-fave, roasted pumpkin fondue. The creamy-cheesy roasted savory-sweet goodness of the squash (and some bubbly to wash it down with) made a great difference through the howling of the storm.

There are many ways each of us can help. You can donate here to help a great woman who ran an animal rescue and lost her business, home, and a number of the animals she cared for. If you are local to NY/NJ, you can visit here to find out where to drop goods off, and to learn what people need most.

As I get caught up, I realize we are approaching the national elections in just a few, short days. There is a very important bill for review in California that I wanted to share with you. Passage of this bill, named Prop 37, will grant Californians the right to truth in food labeling. Big Food does not want this transparency. They want to continue operating under the radar, retaining the ambiguity of what foods are or aren't GMOs. Unlabeled, these foods have an easier chance of ending up in our pantries and onto our plates, but, with an educated public, we all can assert we have the right to know what we are eating and feeding our families. You can learn more about it here, here, here, here, and here. Just as we require that food be labeled if it has sugar or fat in it, we deserve to know if there are genetically modified ingredients as well. Please share this milestone opportunity with your friends everywhere, as what happens in California will undoubtedly pave the way for the nation. Vote YES on proposition 37. We deserve the truth.

And, lastly......

I'd made some wonderful mussel recipes when my friend Jon sent a batch not too long ago, and I am excited to share a new favorite recipe with you. These mussels have ruined me for any other, which I almost always find lacking in adequate plumpness and freshness. The mussels are from Taylor Shellfish Farms. Top-notch, every bit juicy and wonderful.

Freshly harvested, the mussels' beards are still intact

Celery & Pernod Mussels with Saffron Aioli

Celery & Pernod Mussels with Saffron Aioli

Serves 2-4

for aioli -
a good pinch of saffron threads, steeped in a tiny bit of warm water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup good mayonnaise - I use grapeseed oil Veganaise, it tastes great!

for mussels -
good olive oil
4 celery ribs, sliced thinly on a mandoline
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 1/2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup veg or chicken stock
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup Pernod
sea salt and cracked black pepper

 Allow saffron to steep in warm water for at least five minutes. Add saffron mixture and garlic to mayonnaise, stirring thoroughly to combine. Season to taste with s & p, cover and refrigerate. This can be done a day in advance.

In a cast iron skillet, heat a generous glug of olive oil over a medium-high flame. Sautée shallots for a few minutes, stirring as they brown. Add garlic and sautée for another minute. Pour in Pernod, wine, and stock, and once liquid is bubbling, add in the mussels. Using tongs or a spoon, make sure they are in a single layer and cover with a lid, cooking until their shells have opened, about 5 minutes. Turn the flame off. Toss in the celery and parsley and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper, and serve in large shallow bowls, accompanied by crusty bread.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies - adapted from the Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

makes 24 4-inch cookies

3 pastured eggs at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tsp good quality vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup plus 5 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup moist brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups cane sugar
1 cup milk chocolate chunks
1 3/4 cups dark chocolate chunks - I chop a larger bar, using Callebaut, into smaller chunk pieces for both

In a small bowl, combine eggs and vanilla extract, whisking to combine. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda + powder, almond meal, and salt. Combine butter and sugars in a third bowl and, with an electric mixer, cream on medium-high speed until very light and fluffy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, incorporating all the bits back together. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add half the egg-vanilla mixture to the fluffy sugar-butter mix and beat to combine. Add the remainder, and beat again to combine. Add the dry mixture and beat on low until evenly distributed. Do not overmix. Add the chocolate chunks and stir until just combined. Portion large tablespoon-sized mounds (about 1/4 cup apiece) evenly apart on parchment paper-lined baking trays, keeping it to 6 mounds per tray (the cookies will spread as they bake). Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges are browned and keeping the centers lighter, for that perfect gooey-done consistency. If you are baking on multiple trays, rotate which is on top/bottom for even baking. Cool on a wire rack and serve while chocolate is still slightly melty, about 15 minutes.


Roasted Pumpkin Fondue

Serves 1-2, depending on the size of your squash

One smallish pumpkin, top cut off and seeds scraped out
Thinly sliced stale bread/well-toasted bread - I used a combination of french baguette, a seeded loaf, and rye - use whatever you have laying around
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup grated gruyère or other melty cheese
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
small pinch of cayenne
sea salt and cracked pepper
Good olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk to combine stock, cream, and spices. Rub a bit of olive oil around the entire exterior of the squash as well as its top, and place on a parchment paper-lined roasting pan. Layer slices of bread, followed by cheese, until you have filled the cavity of the pumpkin. Pour in the stock-cream mixture. Replace the pumpkin top and bake for 45 minutes, or until the flesh of the squash is fork tender. Remove the top and allow to cool for a few minutes and eat directly from the squash, or serve into bowls, being sure to scrape the soft pumpkin flesh out to accompany the fondue. Yummm.


We are at a time of reflection - both with the passing of the year, days shortening and more time spent indoors, and also because this life-changing disaster has struck. Find what makes you feel most fulfilled, and do more of it. Be hungry for that search. Help your neighbors and your friends in the midst of it all. That is what being alive is about. xxxoo

Scenes from Summer

It was not that long ago that many adventures were had - away, on new turf - exploring bits of beauty in Nature. New York City living offers many gifts, but the "Nature" score is always a bit low. So on trips this summer, I took in boulders, ponds, forests, farms, and the quieting beauty that nature so easily provides.

Blueberry Island - White Mountain National Forest, NH

  

An incredibly large and equally still pond. Frolic and a rowboat trip with friends who showed us the way, to a tiny island inhabited by countless wild blueberry bushes. We brought back almost as much as we stuffed into our mouths. Sweet, tart, out-of-this world flavor. If I had access to a kitchen during this part of the trip, there would have been crostadas for everyone. Alas - fresh, unadulterated, and amazing would have to do...

Diana's Baths, NH

Six-tenths of a mile's walk into the forest. The sight of moss covered rocks, fir trees, and pine needle strewn-soft earth everywhere. A clearing, and then, the soft roar of water. Smooth granite sculpted by all this rushing water, huge stones-turned-incredible-sculptures made for great jungle-gym adventures. Lots of children agreed this was the best way to spend an afternoon. People played on multiple levels throughout the falls, enjoying the refreshing cool of the water, and the smooth stone underfoot.

 World Fellowship Center Gardens - NH

It was a damp, on-again off-again rainy day. It was also my birthday, and I wanted to see where the bohemian retreat space that hosted us sourced its bounty of fresh greens and vegetables. Farmer Andy happily had us along to harvest, and trudging on moist earth, we visited three garden spaces. Modest, beautiful, happy gardens. In the mix of flowers, beans, salad greens, squash, and potatoes, we chased young chickens who, though outnumbered, were incredibly fast and resourceful, and ran off into the brush. They too wanted another day in the wet wilderness.

Look soon for part two in this adventure. 

There are so many photographs to share. It makes sense to simply finish up now and parcel these out, whetting your appetites for what is to come next...  ;)