Autumn in Vermont

It was a picturesque day, hiking in the mountains in Vermont on the peak foliage weekend in October. The air was a crisp 48 degrees with just enough of a wind to remind you that winter is coming.

Later that day, with a fire roaring in the fireplace, a table is set for 10 friends, old and new, lit by candlelight.

A huge platter of Prime Rib is placed on the table, surrounding a mound of mixed baby potatoes - red, yellow and purple. Next to the platter was a salad of mixed greens, onions and late season gold and red tomatoes straight from the garden, dressed just right.

The house is filled with a glorious smell of wood smoke - partially from the fireplace but also from the dinner placed before us.

For the last few hours, an emornmous Prime Rib of Beef along with the potatoes have been slowly cooking on the charcoal grill with a handful of Hickory wood chips.

The meat, juicy and delicious, cooked to a perfect medium rare, the potatoes, the flowing red wine, the friends and the scenery. Most definitely a memorable meal.

It's what food is all about.

"It is a true saying that a man must eat a peck of salt with his friend before he knows him."
Miguel de Cervantes, 'Don Quixote'

Expiration Date on Candy

Anyone who has spent any time with me knows I'm somewhat of a stickler about food safety. This includes how long eggs belong in a fridge, if a sandwich with mayo can be eaten at lunch if it was packed at 7am and if that mystery meat in your freezer for the last 6 months is still good.

One gray area is candy. How long can commercial made candy stick around before it's considered bad. There are so many preservatives in there that you have to wonder if it ever really goes bad.

Well, today, a bag of candy was discovered from a party over 3 years ago. A little experiment showed that the Dark, White and Milk Chocolate Kit-Kat bars were fine (did you know they made white and dark chocolate Kit-Kat bars??) as were the Sweet-Tarts. The only thing that appeared not to have survived were the Tootsie Rolls. As our test subject unwrapped the roll, it began crumbling in her fingers. Taking a tentative bite, she quickly spit it out, mumbling something about a "corn-syrup glob."

So the next time your kids want to eat all of their Halloween candy right away, you might want to consider letting them.

Zephyr Pie

They found out I cook... uh oh. We know what happens when a chef is expected to cook or "bring something." Now I need to figure out how to feed 16 people after a full day of Spring Skiing in Tahoe. After letting the ideas stew for awhile (yes, that pun was intended), this recipe came to me in a dream.

Along with mini crab cakes with remoulade and Beef Bourguignon with buttered noodles, I made the following Zephyr Pie* recipe.

Feel free to personalize the recipe. Instead of artichoke hearts, chicken and sundried tomatoes, add sausage and peppers or mushrooms and onions or anchovies and capers. Whatever your heart (or your stomach) desires!

The final result will be a cross between a pizza pot pie and an upside down pizza.


Zephyr Pie recipe:

2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 lb. Chicken (boneless/skiness) breast, cut into 1" pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
2 cans diced tomatoes (14 oz)
2 cans tomato sauce (4 oz)
1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped (14 oz can)
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Pre-heat oven to 400°F
Heat olive oil in large skillet with high sides over medium high heat.
Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through
Add garlic and cook until fragrant but do not let brown
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil. Let simmer for ~ 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from heat.
Stir in sundried tomatoes, olives and artichoke hearts
Pour chicken mixture into a 9x13 baking dish
Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top of the chicken mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk and flour until just combined with no lumps
Pour batter over the mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top

Bake ~20-25 minutes until crust is lightly browned.

Feeds 4-6 people with a side salad or more if it's part of a larger menu. It doubles or triples easily to feed a large crowd.

* named for Zephyr Cove near Lake Tahoe

Scrounge Dinner #1

I’m home, it's late and I'm hungry. I haven’t been to the grocery store and I’m even out of bacon for my beloved Spaghetti Carbonara… What can I make?

Angel Hair pasta – Check
Anchovy Paste – Check
Tomato Paste – Check
Butter – Check
Garlic salt and dried Basil – Check
Fresh Parmesan Cheese – Check
Freshly ground pepper – Check

D’inner! D’elicious!

My Coffee Plight

It's one of those mornings when I really need that first cup of coffee. It’s cool out, which makes me want to pull the covers up further and hit snooze a few more times. But, I trudge into the hustle and bustle of NYC, being used as a human pinball several times before arriving at the corner deli. As I do every morning, I give my order, “Coffee, milk only please. “

I walk the rest of the way to the office with my coffee safely tucked into a paper bag (ugh! Didn’t stop them in time – but alas, another rant for another day). The elevator’s taking a very long time today… do I sneak a sip now? Oh! The elevator’s here. Ok, here we go… stop at floor 2 (couldn’t they walk up??)… 6…(the smell of my coffee inabag is intoxicating)…9…finally we get to the 20th floor. I think I’m going to pass out unless I get caffeine NOW!

Boot up the computer, sit down, open the coffee, Hoorah! Big gulp, “ahh.. gack! Cack! Blech!” There’s sugar in here! Enough sugar to send a child into a coma! What part of “Coffee, Milk ONLY” got lost in translation??

*sigh * I do not judge those who enjoy a sugar bomb in their coffee, but this is not a good way to start my day.