Christmas Eve 2009

Wow, after over a week pretty much unplugged, I figured I'd better get up a quick post about Christmas before I turn into a pumpkin... or it becomes 2010, whichever comes first ;)


We had Christmas Eve at our place, with one set of grandparents. We had a fabulous meal that began with the traditional Barszcz made by Grandma. That was followed by shrimp, salmon, pierogies (recipe here), and roasted veggies.

roasted veggies, salmon, and pierogis

The roasted veggies included carrots, parsnips, delicata squash and acorn squash, roasted at 450 with cinnamon and curry powder. For the fish of the night, I slightly adapted a recipe from Angela. Once I got out all of the bones, it was easy to put together, cooked in no time, and was enjoyed by everyone--included my mom who doesn't like salmon!

Baked Dijon Pecan Salmon

Baked Dijon Pecan Salmon
adapted slightly from Oh She Glows, who adapted it from allrecipes



1.25-1.5lb wild sockeye salmon fillet (Mine had the skin on, I just lifted the salmon off when serving)
1T butter
1/4c dijon mustard
~1T oil to thin
1-2T honey, optional (I can't actually remembered if I used this)
1/4c panko bread crumbs
1/4c chopped pecans
1/4c chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400deg.

In small bowl, melt butter. Add dijon mustard and mix. Add enough oil/honey until the mixture has thinned enough to be spreadable.

In another small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans and parsley.

Place salmon (skin side down) in a large baking dish. Top with dijon and spread to cover the fillet. Top with crumb mixture and press lightly into dijon.

Bake 12-15min, or until flakes easily with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.

Apple Pie w/Thyme Crust & Gruyere Crumble

For dessert, I made another apple pie, since my parents didn't get to try it the first time I made it :) It was still delicious and from the moans that came from the other side of the table, I'm guessing everyone liked it!


I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!! And don't be afraid to give into temptation and have a snowball fight...


I couldn't resist making more of Katie's Chocolate Macaroon Babies and also tried some of Averie's Gingerbread Balls and Sugar Cookie Balls. A good way to ease your way off of the holiday treats (or was that just me??), getting in some more wholesome sweets! Or you could get wild with Katie ;)

See you next year!

Sticky Buns

When I was small my family celebrated Christmas morning with sticky buns. Presented in a white cardboard box from the local bakery, they were fat and luscious with brown sugar frosting and crunchy pecans. I always ate mine in small bites, pulling them apart with my fingers at their seams.

Years later, when I was in high school, my parents split up. As a result many things changed. Among them, our holidays suddenly became disjointed. Many of our traditions—the tiny ones that we'd carved together beneath the tree, beside the menorah—were thrown to the wayside, now relics of the past.

Last week, however, I revived one. I wanted sticky buns for Christmas. This time, I made them from scratch. They were the first I’ve eaten in years.

I began the recipe, which is from Bon Appetit, on Christmas Eve at my mother's house in Boston. I let the dough rise while my mom, her boyfriend, my brother and I ate dinner--sharing a lasagna with spinach and ricotta, salad with pomegranate seeds and pine nuts, and lots of wine.

I kneaded the soft pillow of dough at 11 pm, giggling in the hazy glow of a glass of Burgundy. I rolled the dough into rectangles, brushed it with butter and spice, and then wound it into two tight logs. After cutting each one into tiny rounds, which curled like snails, I placed the buns into cake pans coated with a thick brown sugar glaze. Then I let them sit in the fridge overnight.

I came downstairs before anyone else on Christmas morning, the kitchen awash in a pink post-dawn light. I took the pans out of the cold and let the buns rise on the counter for a second time. Then I stuck them in the oven as my family slowly made their way to join me by the tree. Soon, the house was filled with a sweet yeasty scent, one of hot cinnamon and sugar.

Later, we ate the sticky buns while sitting on the couch and washed them down with glasses of champagne. They were fleshy, flaky and warm. The rich caramel glaze hung over each hump of baked dough like snow. They were just as I remembered. Actually, they were better.

Sticky Buns
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes 24

Dough
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
4 teaspoons dry yeast
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dry nonfat milk powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour (plus more, I found, to get the dough the desired consistency)

Glaze
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup golden syrup, or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3 cups pecan halves

4 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For Dough:

Mix warm water and yeast with a pinch of sugar in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 8 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat remaining sugar, butter, milk powder and salt in a large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add yeast mixture, and then 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time. Using a rubber spatula, mix in final cup of flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. The dough will be soft and sticky. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup flour on the counter and knead dough until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as you go until no longer sticky, about 8 minutes.

Butter another large bowl and put the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area, until doubled, about 2 ½ to 3 hours.

For the Glaze:

Butter two 10-inch round cake pans with 2-inch sides. Beat brown sugar, ½ cup butter, honey, golden syrup, and ¼ cup water in a medium bowl to blend. Spread half of the glaze in the bottom of each prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups pecans over each.

Punch down the dough. Divide in half. Roll each piece out on a floured work surface into a large rectangle, about 12 by 9 inches. Brush excess flour off of the dough, and spread the remaining butter over each rectangle, dividing equally. Mix the four teaspoons of sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle it over each rectangle evenly. Then, starting at the long side, roll each rectangle up into a log. Cut each into 12 rounds. Place 12 rounds, cut side down, in each pan, spacing evenly. Cover with plastic wrap.

You can let this rise now for about an hour, until doubled. Or you can place the pans in the fridge overnight and let them rise the following day, for about an hour and a half or 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the buns until a deep golden brown, abut 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the buns, and then turn immediately over on a platter while still hot. Serve and enjoy.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

It looks like these little muffins are making their way around the blogosphere.  I saw them on Cooking with LT about a week and a half ago and she got them from Cook with Sara.  They are so cute and I had all the ingredients so I knew I could make them some time between Christmas and New Year's eve and I did.  I only keep skim plus milk on hand and wasn't sure if that would be okay.  After reaching out to my friends on Bakespace and facebook, I was assured that they would be just find....and they were!  Like Laura says, they make more mini muffins/cupcakes than 24 which is what the original poster stated. The more the better, don't you think?  If you're looking for an easy, yummy and cute recipe you should definitely try these.


Cinnamon Sugar Mini Muffins (that taste like cupcakes!)

from Cooking with LT

Ingredients:

Muffins:

3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Topping:

1 Tbsp. butter, melted (I needed a bit more)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon


Directions:

1) In a mixing bowl, beat together egg and sugar until fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; beat just until combined (the mixture will be crumbly).

2)In a measuring cup, combine milk, oil and vanilla; add to flour mixture and mix well.

3) Pour into muffin cups or mini muffin cups lined with papers or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

4) Cool for 10 minutes. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Melt butter in a second small bowl. When muffins are cool enough to handle, remove from muffin pans and dip muffin tops in melted butter, then in cinnamon sugar mixture.

BLOGGER MEET-UP AT MA PECHE

It's been a little over a month since I last visited Ma Peche with a group of food bloggers. I thought the next time I'd be here again would be when the restaurant officially opened next door to the Chambers Hotel on 56th. But when Hagan from Wandering Foodie asked if I would like to come along for a blogger meet-up, I was happy to revisit the temporary set-up in the hotel's mezzanine. Following a morning session of ice skating at Bryant Park, I met up with Karen (Hagan's friend) and Zachery Cohen of Farm to Table.
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Chicken Braciolettini with Mushroom and Wine Sauce

Blogging has become a bit of an addiction for me. I don't mean my own blog (if you notice I've been slacking there a bit) but reading blogs. Currently I have 265 blogs in my google reader. I know, it's insane. What's even more insane is that I comment on a lot of them. Not every time but I have at least commented a few times on every blog I read. I want people to know that what they are doing isn't for nothing and someone is out there is reading....especially since I've learned recently that even though I may get lots of positive feedback there will always be a few people who are unhappy and will let me know. The point I'm trying to get to is that when I read all 265 of those blogs, I come across a lot of cookbook suggestions.I started jotting them down and came up with a nice Christmas wish list. Lucky for me, I got most of them! Tonight I made a recipe from one of those cookbooks, The North End Italian Cookbook by Marguerite DiMino Buonopane. Out of all the cookbooks I received, this one reminds me the most of old school Italian cooking and so of course, it reminds me of my grandmother.  I know she'd like this recipe as long as I left out the butter.  She claimed she was allergic but I'm not so sure that was true.   Nanny was funny like that.                                                                                                                                         The dish was delicious and I only made some minor changes.  I used two cloves of garlic instead of one, I used chicken cutlets instead of breasts, used half the amount of butter, and used a little less Romano cheese than called for.  Since I used cutlets the chicken wasn't as big so I didn't think I needed that much cheese.  Next time I'll use half the amount of wine because it was really strong and I had to dilute it with chicken stock.   That's why it's always very important to taste as you go along and you can't hold a recipe to timing and  amounts.  Using a different size pot or pan could  change the cooking time, using a different brand of stock or wine could change the flavor as well.


Chicken Braciolettini with Mushroom and Wine Sauce
by Marguerite DiMino Buonopane

Serves 6 (If using small chicken cutlets like I did, you'll want to serve two per person)

Ingredients:

6 large boneless chicken breasts
1 large garlic clove
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 pound shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese
1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
6 thin slices prosciutto or ham
1 stick (1/2 cup butter)
1/4 cup oil
1 cup Madeira or Marsala wine
1/2 pound whole button mushrooms or thinly sliced large mushrooms

Directions:

1.  Have butcher pound the meat slightly to break the tendons, or use the flat side of a heavy meat cleaver to do so yourself. 

2.  Lay the flat pieces of chicken on a smooth clean surface.  Using a garlic press, squeeze the garlic clove.  With your fingertips, transwer these particles to the cutlet pieces.  Sprinkle black pepper, grated cheese, shredded cheese, and parsley all over the chicken.  Cover each breast with a slice of prosciutto or ham.  Roll each breast jelly-roll style, carefully tucking in all loose ends.  Secure with toothpicks (use the same number for each breast).

3.  Heat the oil and the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken breasts and brown well all over.  With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven or until the chicken is cooked moist-tender.

4.  To make sauce, drain the fat from the skillet and return unwashed pan to stove an medium heat, scraping all browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.

5.  Raise the heat to high and pour in the wine, stirring well.  Add the mushrooms and cook 1 more minute, shaking skillet.  If the sauce appears to thin, sprkinkle with some flour and cook, stirring well until reaches your desired thickness.  If more sauce is desired, add some chicken broth and more wine.

6.  Remove the chicken from the oven, carefully remove all toothpicks, and transfer to a warm serving platter.  Pour the hot sauce on top.  Sprinkle with the reserved tablespoon of chopped parsley.  To serve cut meat in thick slices and coat with sauce and mushrooms.

Author's Note: If using small pieces of chicken breasts, it will not be necessary to bake the chicken.  Simple cook in skillet as directed, transfer to a warm platter, and prepare sauce.

My Note: If using chicken cutlets, make sauce then add rolls back to sauce, toss to coat.  Put cover on and allow to cook for approx 10 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken) to cook chicken through. 

I didn't slice the chicken since they were small but served two over a bed of risotto topped with the mushroom sauce. 

New Year's Cooking And Baking Resolutions

As the year winds down, I can't help thinking about all that I've accomplished in 2009 and all that I hope to accomplish in 2010. I started this blog a little more than two years ago as a place to share my incessant ramblings about food. Over time I think my writing, my pictures, and my thoughts about food in general have all evolved. I'd like to thank all of you for coming along for the ride, for coming back day after day to read and comment on my thoughts, recipes, and ideas. I think of so many of you as friends -- even though we've never met. I love reading your blogs, and I love that we can bounce ideas off of each other and be there to support each other -- through our blogs, email, and Twitter. If you asked me 15 years ago if I thought I'd be doing this today, I would have had to ask you what a blog is. And let's not even get started on Twitter! It's funny how life goes, isn't it?

Before I move ahead to what I'm thinking for 2010, I wanted to do a quick recap of the past year... in food.

In January I made fresh pasta for the first time. It was delicious, and in true Megan fashion, I went all out and didn't just make pasta but ravioli.

I also worked with choux pastry for the first time and made some adorable, last-minute cream puffs.

Later in the year, I joined the Daring Cooks (for a brief few months -- I'm a Daring Baker now) and made potstickers from scratch. They're so much easier than you'd think, and I'm suddenly wishing I'd made a triple batch so I'd still have some left in the freezer.

In July I started working at a bakery, and I'm hoping all that I'm doing and learning there is bringing me a step closer to figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. I always thought that was something I needed to know back in high school, but I've learned that what we think we want to do is not always what we really want to do... and it's okay to change things and not always take the direct path.

In September I made apple cider doughnuts that were out of this world! And it seems like all of you loved them too because that post has been super-popular.

I also made puff pastry for the first time for a Daring Bakers' Challenge. While I'll still buy it at the store because it's more convenient, I love knowing that when I have a little extra time, I can make it completely from scratch.

In November I made my favorite dinner of the whole year: herb-crusted beef tenderloin and potato latkes from Cook's Illustrated.

I also made a mini Thanksgiving dinner for two as practice for hosting a real Thanksgiving dinner someday. The best part after the flavorful brined turkey? The pecan-caramel bars I made for dessert!

For another Daring Bakers' challenge, I made cannoli. I never imagined I could make cannoli at home. I always just figured I'd have to find them at an Italian bakery.

In December I made my very first bûche de Noël, complete with meringue mushrooms, chocolate splinters, and sugared rosemary and cranberries... and it was a hit!

And I closed out the year with a dessert I think is the best one I made all year: peppermint meringue cake with chocolate buttercream. Seriously. Make it.

So that's 2009 in a nutshell!

My thoughts about what I want to accomplish in 2010 were actually spurred by a recent conversation I had with my dad when I was home for Christmas. He told me if I made a list of things I wanted to know how to cook or cooking-related things I wanted to know how to do, he would teach me. If a professional chef offered to teach you anything, what would you want to know?

The first thing that popped into my head was knife skills. I've always felt that if I knew how to properly use a knife and which knives serve which purposes, I could be more efficient and less accident prone. My boyfriend bought me a great book called Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes., which is really helpful for this, but I think I would learn better by being taught by someone first and then practicing what I'm taught, using the book to reinforce my skills. And also, maybe when faced with a raw, whole chicken, I could know exactly what to do and not confront it with a look of complete bewilderment if I need to cut it into pieces.

Secondly, my dad can simply touch a roast or other peice of meat and know whether it's still raw or what temperature it's at. I'd love to be able to do that. I use the knife-slit method -- you know, when you make a small cut and check to see if something's done. It works, but it's not so pretty when it comes time to serve the dish.

I would also want him to teach me how to make a good hollandaise. Eggs Benedict is my favorite breakfast -- when the hollandaise is made right and not fake or broken and the eggs are poached properly, with runny rather than hard yolks.

And when something tastes kind of blah or just mediocre, I want to know what I'm supposed to add to perk it up. Is that something that can be taught?

I'm still putting together the rest of my list. There are tons of things I want to know, but I feel like I should streamline myself and just list the basics because once I know the basics, I hope I'll be able to apply them to more advanced projects.

And here's one last list... aside from what I want my dad to teach me, these are the food- and cooking-related things I want to accomplish in 2010.

Make stock. I made a vegetable stock a long time ago, but I haven't tried to make any others since then, so in 2010, I want to make a chicken stock and a beef stock.

Be more creative. I always say this, but I have a hard time doing it: I'd like to try to come up with dishes and ideas on my own, rather than using recipes so much. I'm hoping that I can use The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs (which I got for Christmas) and Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking as guides to help me stop relying on recipes all the time. That doesn't mean I'll stop using recipes, but for those times when I have random things in the house, I'd love to be able to throw together a great meal or incredible dessert without running to the grocery store for all the ingredients listed in a particular recipe.

Make more homemade bread. We love eating fresh bread and always buy a loaf when we're at the store. With a little advanced planning, I could easily make us some warm-from-the-oven bread at home.

Oatmeal bread
Cinnamon bread
Monkey bread
Pretzel rolls

Make more homemade soup. I love soup and now have two great books with tons of soup ideas. No more excuses.

Lentil soup
Chicken soup
Bacon, zucchini, tomato soup
Hearty, herby minestrone

Conquer gnocchi. Remember this gnocchi? And this gnocchi? I do. They haunt me! I know I can do better.

Make ice cream! I got an ice cream maker for Christmas, and I can't wait to use it. I can't tell you how many times I've seen recipes for ice cream and then gotten bummed out when I read the line that says to put the mixture in an ice cream maker. I'm hoping this will help with my whole creativity goal too. I have a feeling it will be pretty easy to combine ingredients and flavors when making ice cream.

Strawberry ice cream
Vanilla ice cream
Mixed berry sherbet
Coffee ice cream
Hazelnut gelato
Cake batter ice cream
Basil ice cream
Pumpkin ice cream

And now some questions for you...

What are your food-related goals for 2010?

If a professional chef offered to teach you anything, what would you want to learn?

What would you like to read about on Delicious Dishings? What do you come here looking for?

PACE PICANTE SAUCE CARNITAS

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two complimentary jars of Pace Picante Sauce for me to experiment in the kitchen.  And as soon as they arrived, I knew exactly which recipe I wanted to try: carnitas. Carnitas mean "little meats" in Spanish and is traditionally made with beautifully marbled and muscled cuts of pork, which are tenderized over hours of low heat into sublime perfection. This is slow-food at its best. 

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Merry Christmas!

I know this post is a little late. I never scheduled this post and I thought I did. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed time spent with family and friends and of course, had lots of good food! I will be back soon with more recipes, some from the five new cookbooks Santa brought me! More about that soon!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday this season! Happy holidays from my family to yours!

xoxo,

Christine

Peppermint Meringue Cake With Chocolate Buttercream

We had another fun holiday party to attend this past weekend, and I decided to make a cake I couldn't get out of my head since I first saw it gracing the December 2009 cover of Bon Appetit: peppermint meringue cake with chocolate buttercream.

Layers of light, crisp but chewy peppermint meringue alternate with moist peppermint syrup-soaked chocolate cake and dark chocolate buttercream.

It reminds me of stirring a candy cane into hot chocolate with marshmallows, one of my favorite things during winter and the holidays. And it might just be the best cake I've made all year.

Topped with After Eights, bright red raspberries, and sprigs of green mint, it's incredibly festive and the perfect dessert for any holiday gathering.

You can find the recipe on the Bon Appetit Web site.

Happy Holidays!

Pierogi Extravaganza 2009

This post is a bit late, as the event occurred a month ago, but I figure since we'll be eating what we made for Christmas, it's almost appropriate to post it now, too ;) The saturday after thanksgiving, aunts, cousins, grandma, and nephew came over to do some serious pierogi making. We're talking 3 batches of dough with 4 different fillings. My uncle is an amazing photographer (check out his site, gorgeous shots like this make a great gift!!) and documented the process. I'll point you to last years' post for the recipe. Enjoy the "show"!

Making the dough

Rolling out and cutting

little helper!

Potato & Onion (my favorite)

forming the pierogi

Crimping!
(much better with these than my hair ;))

Sauerkraut filling

(sauerkraut, drained and cooked with onions and butter, seasoned w/salt and pepper)

the sauerkraut ones get forked

lined up and ready for action!

Cooked, ready for cooling and freezing.

I should note, that they can be frozen without cooking, you just don't want to defrost them before cooking them (i.e. add them still frozen to boiling, salted water). With the amount of people we had in the kitchen, it wasn't too much work to cook them a few minutes, cooled, and then frozen. This makes it a little easier on the eating end :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!! I'm (hopefully) on a bus home right now, looking forward to spending some time with the family!

SAN FRANCISCO FERRY BUILDING SWEETS

Whenever I walk through the San Francisco Ferry Building, I can always gauge the types of food people have affinity towards. Typically the sweet tooth variety will immediately will be attracted to Miette, a patisserie shop which always has three or four large jars stacked high with macarons to entice innocent passerbyers.

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SAN FRANCISCO FERRY BUILDING, Pt. 1

I
magine a location that unites America's gourmet creme de la creme. The finest cheeses, wines, chocolates, coffee, pastries, breads, olive oil, cured meats and fresh produce and meats. I know it's a bold assertion to name any one place, so I'll make the leap to at least proclaim one place that comes pretty darn close: the San Francisco Ferry Building. If I had to choose one place to grocery shop and eat from for the rest of my life, I would choose the San Francisco Ferry Building. It  contains one of the strongest collections of suppliers of artisan/organic products I've encountered yet.

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Cookies, Cabbage, & Pears

It's been quite a busy time around here, between baking, lab work, and holiday events. I can't say I haven't indulged a bit too much, but at least I have been eating more than cookies ;) Speaking of cookies, I have a few more for you before we get to the main course.

A friend of mine recently had her gall bladder out, and to help her recovery amidst the holiday treats, I sent along some that she could enjoy. This meant no butter, chocolate or nuts to name the usual suspects. I found a few recipes to try including Gingersnaps, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and Carrot Cake Cookies (these were her favorite of the bunch). Olive oil took the place of butter, and I used the white whole wheat flour already in my fridge.

(l to r) Gingersnaps, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and Carrot Cake Cookies

In the midst of the sugar coma that's been the past few weeks, I've tried a few great recipes, and some others that won't be repeated. If you notice a common ingredient, it's because I got a little over-zealous when I saw cabbage for 50cents a head. I'd recommend not trying to buy the biggest head you can find, unless you're prepared to eat it every day for over a week ;)

I am a sucker for good salads with layers of flavor, and this Sugar-Crusted Fennel & Pear Salad was a certainly a winner. I have probably mentioned I don't like raw fennel before, but caramelize it and I just adore it! I used gorgonzola instead of fennel, and since I was eating it at work, dressed it with a Balsamic Vinaigrette already in the fridge. Delicious!

Sugar-Crusted Fennel & Pear Salad

It's snowy and blustery here, perfect for some soup! I've come to enjoy parsnips when their sweetness is brought out by roasting, or when paired with a fruit as in Ricki's Pear & Parsnip Soup. To accompany this soup, a ripe avocado came to the rescue in some Avocado Corn Muffins.



I tried out two cabbage salads-- a Cabbage, Pear & Pistachio Salad and Cabbage, Apple & Walnut Salad (not pictured, sorry!). In the former salad, I didn't have any salted pistachios, so I used pecans. In the latter recipe, I used greek yogurt instead of creme fraiche and gorgonzola instead of blue cheese. Both were tasty, and I was happy to mix it up :)

Cabbage, Pear & Pecan Salad

The last remarkable cabbage dish was this Kielbasa & Cabbage Skillet, made with a grainy dijon and turkey keilbasa. Although I grew up eating my kielbasa with ketchup, much to the chagrin of my grandfather, mustard is a more traditional pairing, and a combination I enjoy now :) I added more cabbage to the recipe, but I would easily double or triple the written out next time.

Kielbasa & Cabbage Skillet

I was also excited to (finally) try a couple of Molly's recipes on the heels of finishing A Homemade Life. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and was delighted by the recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, Cider & Vanilla Bean (not pictured, oops!). Another winner, which I've seen pop up various places is her Warm Butternut & Chickpea Salad w/Tahini Dressing. It combines two foods I can't get enough of- butternut squash and chickpeas, and made for a wonderful lunch! I'd recommend the book and these recipes :)

Butternut & Chickpea Salad w/Tahini Dressing