"Olive Kitteridge"

This whole New Year's resolution thing has become an expensive hobby since I've read over 5 books in six weeks.   However, I find that it's worth every penny since reading is priceless (along with book shelves filled with all your favorite reads).

Serving ideas for 'Olive Kitteridge':

Delights from Maine of course...

Lobster Mac N' Cheese

White Wine:

Whoopie Pie

I can't say I LOVED this book but it was a nice change to read short stories...

PC: Food Network

Cabin Fever

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't leave the house yesterday due to a snow storm.  For that reason I decided to use my imagination and ingredients on hand to make a stellar pizza.  Sometimes a little cabin fever is productive!

Homemade "Buffalo" Sausage Pizza with Cheddar, Red Onion, & Red Pepper...topped with buffalo sauce

The Dough:

1 package active dry yeast (2 teaspoons)

1 cup warm water (105° to 115°, no more)

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little for coating

How to make pizza dough from scratch:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside and follow the instructions below for the method you choose. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the olive oil and yeast mixture into it. Stir until it begins to form a ball, then turn it out onto a clean, floured surface and knead for about 4 or 5 minutes. Your pizza dough should be a smooth, elastic ball. Lightly oil the ball and the inside of a large glass bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

For better crust, punch down the dough, reshape into a ball and let it rise again. You can refrigerate or freeze the dough at this point. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, about 6 ounces each. Roll each portion into a ball, then, working on a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough and work it with your fingers or a rolling pin to form an 8-inch circle. The outer edge of the circle should be a little thicker than the body, forming a rim.

Add toppings. Transfer to a pizza pan or pizza stone. Bake in a 500° pre-heated oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 10 to 13 minutes, or perhaps a little longer if your oven does not reach 500°.

The toppings:

2 links of Buffalo Chicken Sausage (sliced diagonally)

1/2 Red Pepper (chopped)

1/4 Red Onion (sliced into 1" strips)

Prepare the sausage as packaged (I saute mine for 7 minutes-flipping once). Put aside.  Do the same for the peppers and onions (I add a dash of salt/pepper to the veggies and sauteed them for about 3-5 minutes), and place aside as well.

Prepare the dough and fold over the edge to form a crust.  Cover with low fat cheddar cheese and bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, remove the pizza and add the cooked ingredients.  Place in the oven for another 3-5 minutes (to the doneness you prefer).

The Sauce:

1/2 cup of sour cream

2-3 Tbsp Buffalo sauce or hot sauce

I found that mixing sour cream and buffalo sauce (or hot sauce) is the perfect ending to this pizza... Mix the sour cream and the hot sauce and drizzle over the finished pizza. Slice and enjoy!

Dough recipe: greatpartyrecipes.com

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

Let's give the Cheesecake Factory a run for their money: 

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon Roll Batter:

2/3 cup white sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg

½ cup whole milk

1 TBSP vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake filling:

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 TBSP vanilla extract

2 TBSP flour

3 eggs

Cinnamon Filling:

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

3 TBSP cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 TBSP lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla 1 cup powdered sugar milk (if needed to thin frosting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9-inch Springform pan.

Cinnamon Roll Batter:

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Beat for another minute. Scrape down bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the sifted and creamed ingredients together. Mix on low speed until throughly combined. Spread half of the batter onto the bottom of the Springform pan. It will be sticky and thick so spray your hands with baking spray and press down. It will be a thin layer, but trust me it will rise up during baking.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and flour and beat for another minute. Pour all of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon roll batter that is in the prepared pan.

Cinnamon Filling:

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined. Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the cheesecake. Take the rest of the base batter and drop spoonfuls over the entire top of cheesecake. Once finished, take a knife to swirl the ingredients together. This is hard to do as the batter is pretty thick, just do what you can. Bake for about 50-55 minutes, cake will be puffy and lightly browned. Let chill for 20 minutes at room temperature and then cover and move to fridge for 4 hours. Remove cake and let it warm up to room temperature just a bit. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat until desired consistency is reached. If too thick, thin out with milk

PC: Culinary Concoctions

Dreaming of Mary's

Mary's Fish Camp is one of my favorite restaurants of all time. Located in the heart of West Village, this small seafood haven makes you feel as if you've found a portal to a charming New England fishing town.  The fish is always fresh, the ambiance is cool and casual, the menu is innovative yet simple, and the experience is well worth the wait (they don't accept reservations).  In the Summer we drink beer on their sidewalk and in the Winter we head to Bobo until they're ready for us.

Here is a recipe that reminds me of Mary's shrimp tacos.  Although it's not exact, it gives me a taste of Mary's in my very own home. 

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Crunchy Slaw topped with Tomatillo Salsa and Avocado

Homemade Tomatillo Salsa:

1/2 pound tomatillos (they're the tomatoes with husks on them)

Cooking spray

2/3 cup chopped green onions (about 4 green onions)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and chopped

1 garlic clove

To prepare salsa, remove husks and stems from tomatillos. Place tomatillos on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 10 minutes or until slightly blackened on each side, turning occasionally. Cool completely; coarsely chop. Place tomatillos, onions, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 7 times or until coarsely chopped.

Slaw:

1/3 cup mayonnaise

Grated zest of 1 lime

juice from 1 lime

1/2 head green cabbage, cored and shredded, about 4 cups

2 green onions, white and pale parts only, chopped

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

In a bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lime zest and juice. Add the cabbage and green onion. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Shrimp:

1 lb medium peeled and deveined shrimp (I also remove the tails)

1 Tbsp Tabasco

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

Mix together ingredients and refrigerate until ready to grill.  Heat grill to medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Grill shrimp for about 3-4 minutes (turning once) until done. 

Tortillas:
Try to find authentic Mexican tortillas at the store.  Heat the tortillas on the grill for one minute per side.  Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup slaw, 2-3 shrimp, tomatillo salsa and slices of avocado. 

My tacos:

Another favorite dish: 

Lobster Roll and Shoe String Fries

PC: Amateur Gourmet(lobster roll), Ontheinside.info (mary's)

Kiss

Pucker up for this baby: Homemade Oreo Kiss

DIY Truffles for Vday

Double Boiler

+

Chocolate, Cream, Butter, and Liqueur

 =

Gorgeous Homemade Truffles

Master Chocolatier Jacques Torres shows us how to make Truffles:

For the Ganache:

21 ounces of bittersweet chocolate

18 ounces heavy cream (generous 2 cups)

2 ounces (4 tbsp unsalted butter)cut into pieces, softened

2 ounces of orange liqueur or raspberry vodka

For the Garnish: 

 2 cups Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

2 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

About 2 cups toasted nuts, finely chopped 

Click Here for Directions:

Epicurious, Williams-Sonoma, AZ cookbook, Ehow, Sugar Factor

Bringing Back Memories

I recently stopped by Chelsea Market's Buon Italia to pick up some of my favorite imported goods from Italy like burrata cheese, sardinian crackers, and homemade pasta. My goal was to recreate one of the incredible meals my husband and I had on our honeymoon.  Although the meal was delicious, it was a touch short of the real thing.  Let's just say, I hope our next trip to Italy involves a cooking class.

The menu:

Sardinian Crackle bread baked in the oven with olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata Cheese (drizzled with a thick balsamic glaze)

Garganelli pasta Amatriciana

Veal Cutlets with Lemon Parmesan Arugula

Gelato with Italian cookies

All washed down with a Sardinian wine

Freezer Delights

Dinner in 15 minutes flat:

Grilled chicken apple sausage + sauteed  peppers and onion + pumpkin ravioli 

Drizzle with a thick balsamic glaze (purchased at Italian specialty food stores) and season with salt/pepper

In Bloom

"Flowers are love's truest language"

-Park Benjamin

PC: Martha Stewart