recipe 74: grilled zucchini with yogurt and dill

This recipe is from the Stacey/Keith Grummer Collection 2011. It's a healthy one!

GRILLED ZUCCHINI WITH YOGURT AND DILL
Ingredients:
-thick zucchini slices
-fresh dill
-yogurt
-olive oil, a drizzle
-some fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:
1) mix together all of the ingredients (except the zucchini)
2) marinate the zucchini slices in the mixture for at least an hour
3) grill in some foil...

recipes 69, 70, 71, 72, and 73: blueberries!

Listen up. Summer is not over until it's my sister's birthday on September 23rd and that's just the way it is and always has been in my world. So I won't stop posting summer recipes until summer is actually over. I don't subscribe to the brand of forward-thinking that involves posting pumpkin recipes in early August. Because really, that's a lot like retail stores setting up their Halloween merchandise in July. I'm going to advocate for living in the moment. Summer is not over yet. We don't need to think about fall yet. (Okay, I will be honest, I still have a lot of summer recipes to post and I'm so OCD that I won't be able to actually relax until I post all of them. I like cutting things close to the wire and then racing the clock. Those kind of challenges result in me, and 95% of the rest of the world, being more productive. So this is less "living in the moment" and more "racing the clock," but there are definitely "living in the moment" undertones). Take from it what you will. Writing and reading are both like art. And speaking of reading. I promised earlier that I wouldn't venture to write book reviews even though I love to read, and I'll stick to that promise, BUT I do need to send a major shout out to the best book I've read in quite a long time: "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brief_Wondrous_Life_of_Oscar_Wao. Words cannot express how much I loved this book and how sorry I was to have finished reading it. Recommend, recommend, recommend! My very good friend Claire recommended it to me (she obviously knows me very well because it was an extremely well-suited recommendation) and I'm paying it forward here.

Onto the blueberries. The first recipe is from the Magnolia cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Magnolia-Bakery-Cookbook/dp/1439175640 and is adapted by way of using a pre-made crust- lazy! I also want to let the studio audience know that I've been a very long-standing fan of Magnolia Bakery in NYC: http://www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php. Circa 2001, Priya and I even saw Chris Kattan (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0441592/) there checking out the cupcakes. The second recipe is maybe only altered slightly (and dumbed down) from my beloved Mr. Bourdain's cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/Anthony-Bourdains-Les-Halles-Cookbook/dp/158234180X. Did I already mention that I used a portion of my 2011 March Madness winnings to buy an autographed copy of this from Les Halles http://leshalles.net/brasserie/? I think I did. I'm not sure where the third recipe comes from because I've had it for awhile, but I do think I found it somewhere on the internet and adapted it somewhat. The fourth recipe comes from, to the best of my recollection, my own brain. The fifth recipe is inspired by a google search of what to do with blueberries and cantaloupe and is a combination of various ideas that I found, so I'm going to go ahead and call it my own.

BLUEBERRY CRUMB PIE
Ingredients:
-1 lazy-girl store-bought pie crust
-vanilla ice cream 
filling:
-1/2 c sugar
-1 1/2 T corn starch
-2 pints of fresh blueberries
crumb topping:
-2 1/4 c flour
-1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
-2 sticks of softened unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Instructions:
1) mix the filling ingredients, gently toss together, and put in the pie crust
2) prepare the topping by mixing the the flour and brown sugar, and cutting in the butter by using a knife (or preferably a pastry blender thingy, which I do not personally own)
3) sprinkle the topping on top of the fruit mixture and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then at 375 degrees for an additional 25-35 minutes (until the topping is golden)
4) OBVIOUSLY serve this with some really good vanilla ice cream

MR. BOURDAIN'S BLUEBERRIES
Ingredients:
-3 T sugar
-juice of two limes (combined with the sugar until dissolved)
-1 1/2 pints of fresh blueberries
-1 sprig of mint, torn into pieces
 -1/2 c creme fraiche or sour cream

lime confit (or, for the non-culinary genius such as myself, lime simple syrup):
-2 limes
-1 c water
-a couple of tablespoons of sugar

Instructions:
1) first, make the confit by removing the limes from their peels, and removing some of the white stuff (aka: pith) from the peels (if you can; this is an imperfect science and really, you don't need to spend too much time doing this in the dumbed down version of this recipe)
2) cut the lime peels into strips
3) combine the cup of water and 2 T sugar from the confit portion of the recipe above in a saucepan and bring to a boil
4) add the lime strips to the boiling simple syrup and reduce to a simmer; cover the pot and reduce the simple syrup in half and then remove from the heat and let it cool completely
5) toss together: the cooled simple syrup (lime strips included if you so desire), the lime juice/sugar combination, the blueberries, and the mint
6) serve with the creme fraiche or sour cream on the side

BLACKBERRY/BLUEBERRY/STRAWBERRY/RHUBARB CRUMBLE
Ingredients:
cooking spray
vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or Cool Whip
topping:
-1 c flour
-1/2 c brown sugar
-1/2 t cinnamon (don't overdo the cinnamon)
-a pinch of salt
-6 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-1/2 c rolled oats
filling:
-any combination or any one of the above fruits, mixed together, and totaling about 4ish cups (e.g. you could make just a blueberry crumble or just a blackberry crumble or a strawberry rhubarb crumble or really, whatever you want, except maybe a plain rhubarb crumble because probably nobody would eat that)
-1/2 c brown sugar
-1/3 c apple juice
-1 T corn starch
-1 t vanilla extract (or a little more if you so desire)

Instructions:
1) preheat oven to 375 degrees
2) mix together the topping with your fingers (YUP!)
3) toss together the filling ingredients with a spoon
4) spray ceramic cooking cups (these probably have a more technical term but this is what I'm calling them) with some cooking spray, and line them on a cookie sheet
5) put the fruit mix in the cooking cups, and fill about 2/3 of the way; top with topping (there may be some leftover topping- I've even frozen it before and used it later)
6) bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling
7) let cool a little bit and serve with the sweet cream selection of your choice (vanilla ice cream or whipped cream or Cool Whip, or, for the adventurer, all three)

I know this post is about blueberries, but I only have a picture from when I made this with strawberries! Close enough!

SIMPLE FRUIT DIP WITH BERRIES
Ingredients:
-equal parts Marzetti Cream Cheese Fruit Dip http://www.marzetti.com/products/marzetti/dips/marzetti-fruit-dips/marzetti-cream-cheese-fruit-dip-135-oz.htm and Cool Whip
-various berries

Instructions:
1) mix together in equal parts: the cream cheese fruit dip and Cool Whip
2) serve in a bowl surrounded by various berries (it is very cute if they are on toothpicks, sadly I do not have photographic evidence of said cuteness)

BLUEBERRY CANTALOUPE MINT SALAD
Ingredients:
- cubed cantaloupe
-blueberries
-torn fresh mint
-honey, just enough to coat

Instructions:
1) mix the above together in whatever proportions strike your fancy
2) because, in seventh grade, when I was learning how to outline things I was taught you cannot have a Roman numeral I without a Roman numeral II, here I will simply say: 2) chill and enjoy!

refreshing!

HOT SPRINGS AND GRIZZLIES AND GUNS, OH MY! (aka: recipe 68: camp stove chili good enough for a bear)

MONTANA = best state ever.  I mean, where else can you find this? http://www.chicohotsprings.com/...
And these?

black bear in the wild, Glacier National Park

grizzly bear in the wild, Glacier National Park (and yes, we took these bear pictures)

And these?

this is intense!

this is ridiculous! (and yes, those are cowboy boots)

So on the second night of my third trip to Montana, the plan was to camp at Glacier.  All over the place, there were terrifying warnings like these:

Nevertheless, we thought that cooking up a delicious chili on the camp stove would be a good idea.  This recipe is a Tiffany invention and it was absolutely delicious!  During the s'mores portion of the evening, which followed the chili portion of the evening, we heard a loud growl.  It was undoubtedly a bear and it undoubtedly caused me to sprint away from the scene, jump in the car, sleep there, and not emerge until the next morning.  Note: Tristan insists that there was no such bear.  He acknowledges hearing the growling but insists that it was the heavyset man in the RV across the way snoring.  But this is my blog, not Tristan's.  And it was a bear and it smelled the delicious chili and it paid a visit.

BEAR-WORTHY CAMP STOVE CHILI (serves two humans for one dinner and one lunch, and one bear)
Ingredients:
-half of an onion, sliced
-red, yellow, and orange peppers, sliced
-a jalapeno, sliced
-butter
-chopped plum tomatoes
-beer, preferably this one, called Moose Drool:

-ground beef
-chili beans, preferably ones like these, which may or may not only exist in Montana:

quite the rustic scene, this was!

-cheese
-sour cream
-lime wedges

Instructions:
1) melt the butter in a pot and saute the onion and peppers until they start to look a little charred

2) remove the onion and pepper mixture and brown the beef (draining the fat) in the same pot
3) add the tomatoes and the beer (oh, about a half bottle or so) to the beef and cook until it thickens
4) add the beans and continue cooking until it starts to look really good
5) add the onion and pepper mixture back in and cook for about as long as it takes to attract a bear

6) top with some squeezed lime, sour cream, and cheese

recipe 67: Amalfi pasta salad (and it's time to introduce Byron)

So much is happening at once. First of all, I have a migraine. Second of all, summer is ending and I still have so many summer recipes to post! Third of all, Tristany is/are heading to an interesting sequence of events in this order within the span of 72 hours: 1) Newark to pick up a delivery (more about this in a minute) 2) a wedding at The Plaza 3) Bozeman and 4) Glacier National Park! And fourth of all, I keep meaning to post this cute little simple fresh delicious summer recipe I made the other night because it's related to the Amalfi references in my last post. The Hoboken Homestead is currently filled wall-to-wall with things for the fancy wedding at The Plaza and things for the western wilderness. It is "the spectrum." I have always been a huge fan of "the spectrum" in its myriad forms so I am delighting in this array of scattered mismatched items. Well, I would be delighting in the array if I didn't have a migraine. And also, for the record, I love National Parks. Love them. I think Arches in Utah is probably my favorite. This was not a love I discovered until maybe about five years ago but it was a love that grew quickly, and my love for National Parks ranks right up there with my love for flip-flops, my love for seltzer, my love for being a bon vivant (bonne vivante?), my love for blasting "Hot 97 FM Where Hip Hop Lives" during my daily commute, and my love for wearing my hair in a big ole sloppy bun from May until September.

The Newark Delivery (a brief back story): So Tristan and I have this friend named Byron. We met him at the Montego Bay airport when he picked us up to drive us to the resort. The walls came down quickly because I had forgotten something really embarrassing and Byron had to find a place where we could buy this on his lovely island. Byron announced, pretty much right away, that he was the mayor of Montego Bay and kept reminding us of this status. Indeed he was! He took us to the best places and he knew the coolest people. And then the darndest thing happened. We went to Pork Pit http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147311-d1232835-Reviews-Pork_Pit-Montego_Bay_Jamaica.html for lunch on our way to the airport. We saw a dapper looking gentleman with people surrounding him. This dialogue ensued:
T/T: Byron, who's that? Is he someone famous?
Byron (inching away/smile fading to frown fading to look of fear): Nobody, mon. Nobody.
T/T: What's the matter, Byron?
Byron: Shh, mon, shh. Just order your food. We need to get to the airport.
T/T: He looks fancy! Look at all of those people surrounding him.
Byron: Order your food, mon. Let's go.
Me: Nope, I'm going to see who that is. Excuse me, sir, could I have your autograph?
Sir's bodyguard: You looking for the autograph of the Mayor of Montego Bay, mon? Stand in line please!
Me: Tristan, Tristan! HE'S the Mayor of Montego Bay!
Tristan: Byron! I thought YOU were the Mayor of Montego Bay!
Byron: Shh, mon! Both of you, shh! It's time to leave!

Anyway, this sealed the deal on Byron becoming our BFF. He sends us funny emails with funny pictures that he takes of tourists who are not nearly as cool as we are. Recently, he told us that he was sending us some presents from Jamaica and that we could pick them up from his relative in Newark. Byron always plans the neatest adventures so off we go!

Byron in Ocho Rios

Now, as a comparison, I wanted to post a link to the actual Mayor of Montego Bay, but then I googled that and was startled to see that the actual Mayor appears to have fallen upon some difficult times. Hence, I will not post any links. PS- Is it me or is this blog getting funnier? Byron- you will always be our Mayor of Montego Bay and this post is dedicated to you. We're looking forward to seeing what's in store in Newark!

The Amalfi pasta salad recipe, which is totally unrelated to Montego Bay which totally exhibits to my three readers what a cross-section of my mind looks like, comes from here with a few tweaks: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/david-rocco/cold-pasta-salad-recipe/index.html. It is simple, fresh, and delicious!

AMALFI PASTA SALAD
Ingredients:
-half a pound of pasta
-half a pound of green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces, cooked al dente and cooled
-1/4 c olive oil
-a splash of good balsamic vinaigrette
-fresh mozzarella, cubed, to taste
-salt and pepper
-zest of one lemon and lemon juice from maybe half of the lemon (Amalfi is big on lemons and so is this blogger, that's for sure!)

Instructions:
1) make pasta according to package instructions and cool
2) mix with all other ingredients
3) chill and serve with a side of limoncello

Note: I didn't take any pictures. It was a late dinner. We were hungry.

recipe 66: Christmas in August... my mom's Thumbprint Christmas Cookies

I'm pleased to announce that I now officially take requests and answer questions. As to the request, it was fielded from an old kindred spirit who popped up to say hello and then asked for a post about my mom's Thumprint Christmas Cookies. I'm not sure if this individual plans on making the cookies anytime within the next four months, but in the spirit of honoring requests, I will post this now. Her Thumbprint Christmas Cookies are my FAVORITE Christmas cookies, and surely this recipe would have been posted at the more seasonally appropriate time but for this early request. I'm not sure where the recipe comes from but my best guess would be ancient Italy. Perhaps the Colosseum. Or perhaps from a bakery around the corner from this church, where both of my great-grandparents were baptized: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalfi_Cathedral. Why they ever left beautiful Amalfi boggles the mind! Now. Moving on to the questions. Because I'm just totally in the helping spirit these days. So, I'm able to see the searches people enter into Google that lead them to my blog. And then they get here and their questions are typically unanswered until NOW, when I'll attempt to answer them.
After much consideration, here are the top five most interesting searches:
1) where to buy cannelloni in Singapore- HA! Hmm, I don't know but I hope you (whoever you are) were able to figure it out. In the meantime, if you're still in Singapore, might I recommend the Hainanese chicken rice from a street vendor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice or getting your fortune told by one of the fortune-tellers with the green parrots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_the_parakeet?
2) how to pronounce pannkakor- That's easy! Let me assist! "Pahn-cah-core." Emphasis on syllable the first.
3) hendl recipe paprika- Amanda and I don't know how to actually cook/bake/broil(?) hendls, but perhaps one day we will. In the meantime, might I suggest not actually making them but eating them at Oktoberfest in Munich? You'll thank me later!
4) "dragon tattoo" "open faced"- I think I actually answered that one: http://cookingmywaytothe365.blogspot.com/2012/04/recipes-18-and-19-swedish-meatballs-and.html I just linked to my own blog! WHAT? Check and mate!
5) venn diagram maker- I did not answer that one. But I'm currently accepting requests to be hired as a venn diagram maker. I think I would very much enjoy that career.

THUMBPRINT CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Ingredients:
-3/4 c sugar
-2 c flour
-1 t salt
-1/2 t almond extract (don't worry, don't worry, I'm not allergic to almond extract, only almonds themselves)
-1 1/2 sticks softened butter
 -1/2 t vanilla
-2 egg yolks, save the whites
-1 1/2 c chopped walnuts
-various jams and jellies (my mom alternates red jams and mint jelly to make these look extra Christmas-y... but I personally always avoid the mint ones like the plague because, while pretty, I feel pretty strongly that the mint jelly ones just don't taste as great as the ones with the berry jams)

Instructions:
1) preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2) combine the sugar, salt, extracts, butter and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl
3) mix the ingredients with an electric mixer for one minute at medium speed
4) add the flour and continue mixing with the mixer at low speed until well-blended
5) slightly beat the egg whites in a small bowl
6) roll the dough into small balls (maybe with a diameter about the size of a quarter)
7) dip the cookie balls into the egg whites and then roll in the walnuts
8) make an indentation with your thumb (hence the name "thumbprints") in each cookie
9) space the cookies out on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies appear "set" (but not browned)
10) let the cookies cool and spoon jelly/jam into the indentations
11) Merry Christmas-in-August!

recipe 65: the grilled white peaches that will change the world (aka the best invention ever)!

I'm taking a brief pause from one-thing-after-another life to bring you this very important message about a recipe I invented all by myself in Loveladies last weekend. Loveladies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loveladies,_New_Jersey! This recipe is the best. No really, a LOT of stuff was grilled and the peaches won by unanimous vote. When I say a "LOT," I mean unadulterated gluttony. The peaches won! They won, they won, they won! Here is how you make them:

GRILLED WHITE PEACHES WITH HONEY-BALSAMIC SAUCE AND GOAT CHEESE
Ingredients:
-sliced ripe white peaches (but not too ripe!)
-equal ratio of balsamic vinegar and honey, enough to coat the peaches and maybe a little extra
-the teeniest squeeze of fresh lime juice (I used this mainly as a preservative because I wanted to swim while the peaches were soaking in the sauce... it can probably be eliminated)
-goat cheese to taste

Instructions:
1) slice the peaches into grilling-friendly slices (see photo below)
2) mix the honey and the balsamic and squeeze in a little lime
3) coat the peaches with the sauce and let sit at room temperature
4) go for a swim!  (I love water so much! It is shocking that my zodiac sign isn't a water sign. That has really always baffled me!)
5) swim away and forget about those peaches!
6) keep right on swimming until your desired level of swimingness is complete!
7) grill the peaches but save the sauce right in the original container
8) after the peaches are grilled, put them back in the sauce
9) sprinkle on some goat cheese and stir it all together

Also, I want to put out there right now that I'm going to power yoga tonight right after work and right before Manasquan. I'm writing this because that means it will happen. My yoga mat is in tow. There's no turning back now. I would not want to disappoint my readers.

recipe 64: grilled banana boats!

So I think the jig is up on the birthday weekend decadence and revelry. After an amazing dinner at Babbo http://www.babbonyc.com/ last night where Tristan and I may or may not have eaten, among four other courses of food- EEK- pig jowls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanciale), and a decadent brunch with my family today, I think it's time to do some sort of cleanse! But first, some words on chocolate bocconotti. Bocconotti from Lucibello's (http://www.lucibellospastry.com/index.php) was definitely my favorite dessert growing up. My parents brought me some today and I think the cleanse really starts after I finish eating them. Here's what one looks like:

totally, totally my favorite dessert

When I was little, my grandpa used to always bring a big box of chocolate and vanilla bocconotti to birthday parties and holidays. I assumed it was every child's favorite dessert. I was shocked out of my mind to find out that other than my family, apparently nobody else on earth has heard of this. Bocconotti is virtually impossible to find outside of my family's little corner of Connecticut. In fact, I've never seen these outside of two Italian bakeries in New Haven. They're so good. So, so good! Maybe I'll learn how to make them one day. It looks like they might be a little difficult to whip up (what with all of that complicated-looking pastry dough and complicated-looking chocolate filling), so this project is on the back-burner.

And speaking of desserts, here's another grummer recipe courtesy of Stacey, courtesy, I believe, of this Whole Foods recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2564.

GRILLED BANANA BOATS (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-4 bananas (leave the skins on)
-chocolate chips
-peanut butter chips
-sliced strawberries
-graham cracker crumbs
-mini-marshmallows
-chopped walnuts

Instructions:
1) heat the grill
2) slice each banana lengthwise through the top of the peel without cutting through the bottom side
3) pry open the bananas and arrange some (or all!) of the above toppings inside, making sure the marshmallows are on top
4) make foil bowls around each banana, leaving the top open
5) grill the bananas for about ten minutes, or until the toppings are starting to look melty

YUM!!!