I’m just getting back in the swing of things and heading back to work full time. Future posts will mostly be focused on what dinners can be made in the 15-minute window I now have between work and dinner. This will probably entail a lot of pre-planning, shopping on the weekends, and the cooking one protein for multiple dinners. If you have any dinner challenges of your own that you would like me to tackle, let me know. It may inspire something great on the dinner plate!

My mom asked me to bring a little nibble for our pre-thanksgiving dinner noshing and I wanted to do something that wasn’t too heavy and was a bit more kid-friendly as we are slowly becoming outnumbered by the little ones at the holidays. I ended up bringing two things: rosemary and cayenne caramalized nuts and coconut-oil-popped popcorn. Both were a big hit, as I manned the Whirly Pop for 4 batches of popcorn and both jars of nuts were decimated by Friday evening.

The nuts were my take on a favorite: the Union Square Cafe’s bar nuts. I love them so, but I always find them a little greasy and the best parts — the sugar, salt, rosemary and cayenne — always end up on the bottom of the bowl. In my recipe, I nixed the butter and pan-toasted the nuts before adding the sugar to start the caramel bath that slowly enveloped the cashews, almonds and pecans. Once the sugar was in liquid form, I added the minced fresh rosemary, salt and cayenne. Once they were thoroughly coated and the sugar was a nice dark amber, the nuts were layed out to cool on Silpats. When they were cool enough to handle, I broke them apart and placed in jars — a perfect food gift for holidays.

Rosemary-Scented Bar Nuts
serves many at cocktail time

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of each: roasted, unsalted cashews, raw pecan halves and blanched, slivered almonds
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leave, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment: a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet, silpats or parchment paper, heat-resistent rubber spatula.

Directions:
Over medium heat, add nuts to 12-inch skillet and toast until frangrant. Add sugar and let sit, untouched for 2 minutes. Start stirring the nuts with the melting sugar until all the sugar has turned to a liquid. Add the rosemary, salt and cayenne and stir to coat and distribute evenly over the nuts. Cook the mixture until the sugar is a dark amber — be careful not to burn the sugar or the nuts.

What we’re eating this week:
Sunday: pizza margarita with apple, celery, raisin and toasted almond salad
Monday: pork bulgogi with snow peas from marthastewart.com
Tuesday: ham and salami heros with quick pickled onion vinaigrette and carrot sticks
Wednesday: turkey meatloaf with buttermilk mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach
Thursday: red beans and rice
Friday: ???
Saturday: Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and Holley’s cranberry relish

Happy eating, -s.

In cooking, as in life, there are perfect pairs; onion and bacon are one of them. There is nothing better than sautéing onions in bacon fat to start a pot of clam chowder. Spaghetti carbonara and bucatini all’amatriciana are both sublime with the silky onions and pancetta that make up the base of their sauces; one creamy and unctuous; the other piquant. Onion and bacon can play multiple roles in the kitchen, as a flavor base, as the star of the show, or as a side note in a steaming bowl of pasta – a perfect pair indeed.

Here’s a link to a yummy recipe of flammkuchen from the very yummy blog, Delicious Days.

But, as I’ve gotten older, it’s the little things for which I am more and more thankful:
1. My daily thermos of delicious coffee made with such care by my husband.
2. Pickle calling me “my mama, my Sarah” when I pick him up from daycare. Too sweet.
3. A job that helps me enjoy all the little things outside of work.
4. A sunny day.
5. A long run.
6. Not rushing somewhere.
7. A husband who cleans up after I cook!
8. A child who sings all of the time and who walks with purpose and confidence. What a gift.
9. NPR.
10. An abundance of love.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving Day full of delicious food and drink, lots of hugs and kisses from those you love and, most importantly, a moment to rest and relax.

Cheers, -s.

It was our second to last CSA box this weekend, which makes me sad. It’s been a really great season with Driftless Organics and I always think of our boxes as little biweekly gifts. We hit the farmers’ market as well to pick up apples and some other essentials. Here’s what we’re eating.

At the market and in the box:
Apples
Bell Pepper
Broccoli
Butternut Squash
Current and cardamon rolls
Daikon radish
Garlic
Green-top Carrots
Heart of Gold Squash
Lacinato Kale
Mint
Onions
Parsley
Parsnips
Red Leaf Lettuce
Red Potatoes
Sage
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes

Menu: week of 9 October 2010
Saturday: Banh mi with sweet potato fries
Sunday: Panko-crusted pork chops with homemade applesauce and sauteed kale
Monday: Lucques-style onion tart with roasted broccoli
Tuesday: Turkish-style roasted carrots and parsnips with hummus, yogurt and pita
Wednesday: spicy chiles and pork stir-fry with jasmine rice
Thursday: Spanish tortilla with homemade garlic aioli
Friday: Roasted squash salad with lardons and spinach

Happy eating, -s.

This recipe for hot chocolate is so good it calls for an extra T (and it is a little ’80s with that extra T, so it has that going for it as well). This is the splendid union of the hot chocolate a la Chocolat my lovely man has made me on occasion and the cinnamon-spiced Mexican hot chocolate you can make with Ibarra chocolate and milk.

This hot chocolate is rich and decadent enough to end a meal (as I did for my bookclub dinner), although you would be mighty popular if you brought a thermos of this with you ice skating come winter. You can make the “base” ahead of time and then just add the remaining milk and bring up to heat.

Whipped cream is a must to both cut the richness and gild the lily.

Hott chocolate
Serves 8 adults or 10 hungry bambinos

Ingredients
Two whole rounds of Ibarra chocolate; I smack the rounds on the counter while still in the package to break them up into pieces
6 oz. Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate, chopped roughly
A tiny pinch of kosher salt
6 cups whole milk

lily-gilding accompaniments
½ pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Directions
Heat two cups of milk until really hot, but not simmering. In the jar of a blender, add the chocolate and salt. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and blend it until smooth and frothy. Note: Always use caution when blending hot liquids.

If making ahead, place the chocolate “base” in a sealed container and chill until ready to serve (can be made up to a day ahead of time).

When ready to serve, place the base and the remaining milk in a saucepan and bring to just shy of a simmer. While the hot chocolate is heating up, whip the cream with a mixer, adding the sugar when the cream reaches soft peaks. Whip until stiff – you don’t want soft cream here as it will dissolve when it hits the heat.

Pour hot chocolate into cups, crown with the whipped cream. Enjoy.

*I forgot to take a photo of my cup, because honestly I couldn’t wait to drink it!

Happy eating (and drinking), -s.

Main Course: Swedish Meatballs with creamy mashed potatoes and served with an orange-scented cranberry sauce