In A Nutshell

The following is a biscotti recipe that I recently tried and loved the results.  In the past I have attempted other biscotti recipes and was always disappointed by the rock hard results.  These were nicely crispy, but not a chore to bite into.  I probably shouldn't be too surprised that the recipe was a success - it comes from the almost always good Smitten Kitchen home cooking blog. 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/3 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon orange liqueur 1 tablespoon almond extract 1 tablespoon orange zest 1 cup whole almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped or sliced almonds 1 large egg white, whisked until foamy 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. Mix together sugar, butter, eggs, extracts, orange liqueur, and zest. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture an

I saw this in a local grocery deli case and figured I could make it myself; I thought it was really delicious but my family did not seem to share my enthusiasm. Needless to say, I ate marinated vegetables for several days at lunch and dinner! 3 zucchinis 3 yellow squash 1 small eggplant 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced 2 cloves of garlic, chopped (optional) chopped parsley 1 lemon, juiced 3 T EVOO salt and pepper to taste balsamic vinegar for drizzling, if desired parmesan cheese (optional) Slice the vegetables on the diagonal about 1/4" thick. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray oil (or you can lightly oil the pan). Lay as many vegetable slices as you can on the pan and spray with olive oil spray (or brush with EVOO); salt and pepper the vegetables generously and broil them until nicely charred; flip them over and do the other side as well. Remove them to a platter and repeat the process until you have broiled all the vegetables. Whisk the lemon juice with th

Years ago, my friend Mindy taught me not to be afraid of yeast; she demystified it for me and I've been grateful ever since! This bread is so incredibly delicious; it is not difficult to make once you get the hang of it. I maintain that it is easier to make it yourself than drive to the store and buy a sub-par loaf. The recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated and I've modified it slightly based on other bread recipes and my own experience making this particular loaf over and over. You need a Kitchen-Aid mixer (or something comparable) and a pizza stone is a good thing to have. The key to having this bread turn out good is to handle the dough very gently (like a baby the Italians say) at all times and to accept and embrace its batter-like consistency. A kitchen scale is handy for bread recipes because the weight of flour is typically different from the equivalent given in cups measured. I hope that last sentence made sense.... Start the dough one day before you want to b

This is adapted from Food and Wine and is a big hit in our house. Depending upon how big the chicken pieces are, sometimes I need to add an extra egg but start with these proportions and add more if necessary. I like to use pyrex shallow pie plates for the flour, eggs and panko because it makes it easier to dredge the chicken pieces. 1/2 cup flour 2 eggs beaten lightly with 1 T Dijon mustard 1 t cayenne pepper (if desired, I often leave it out) 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs 4 chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to 1/4" (you can cut them in half if they are large) olive oil or vegetable oil for frying (I prefer veg because it doesn't burn as easily but if you choose olive, make sure you don't use extra-virgin) sliced lemons spring greens tossed with lemon vinaigrette If you want to use the cayenne pepper, add it to the egg mixture. Generously salt and pepper the chicken pieces; dredge them lightly in the flour then coat both sides with the egg mixture. Dredge them

This is adapted from the recipe section of Season with Spice , a wonderful online spice shop. It is a delicious winter salad. 3 T freshly squeezed blood orange juice 1 T sherry vinegar 4 T extra virgin olive oil 1/8 t Spanish paprika 1/4 t ground coriander 1 t honey salt and pepper to taste 1/2 shallot, finely diced Whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Suggestions for the salad : mixed greens avocado almonds beets blood oranges, peeled and sliced dried cherries feta or goat cheese

This is an adaption of a Rachel Ray recipe from her magazine; the recipe calls for ground Szechuan pepper which I was able to find at Season with Spice (a gorgeous website-- easy to navigate and with lots of delicious recipes). The recipe does not ask for any liquid but I might be inclined to add maybe 1/2 to 1 cup of chicken broth or even pasta water just to make it easier to toss together at the end. Drizzle (or douse like we did) with Sriracha. 1 lb thin spaghetti or 2- 9 oz packages of fresh Chinese noodles found in the produce section 3 T veg oil 1 lb ground beef 1 onion, chopped 1 fresno pepper, chopped (or jalapeno, serrano etc.) 4 garlic cloves, minced 1" piece of ginger, minced 2 t ground szechuan pepper 1 t Chinese 5-spice powder 1/3 c tamari 2 cups (one small head) chopped Napa cabbage 1 bunch scallions, sliced Heat the oil and add the onion, pepper, garlic, chile, ginger, szechuan pepper and 5-spice. Saute for about 3 minutes or so over medium heat.

I love these little cookies; they are just so darn cute! Not too sweet either, very tender and plain but in a nice way. This is from Food & Wine magazine. 2 sticks (8 oz. or 227 grams) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup powdered sugar plus another 1 cup for rolling after the cookies are baked 1/2 cup cornstarch 1/2 t vanilla 1 1/2 cups flour In a food processor, pulse the butter along with the 1/2 cup powdered sugar until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and process until a soft dough forms. You may need to scrape the bowl once. Don't overwork the dough. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Preheat the oven to 350º and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; I don't like to use the Silpat mat for these cookies because it darkens them too much. Roll each section of dough gently into a 12" rope and cut each rope into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange on the baking sheet. You can put them very close together- they won&#

This recipe comes from my friend April who made it for Bunco at her house; I modified it slightly by adding pesto to the oil.  These are so easy to make and are always quite a hit. You can and should make these earlier in the day (even the day before if it isn't humid); they will crisp up as they cool. 1 package wonton wrappers (available in the produce section of the grocery) extra-virgin olive oil for brushing (around 1/2 cup but don't hold me to that figure- add more as needed) 2 heaping teaspoons pesto mixed into the olive oil shredded parmesan cheese garlic salt Preheat oven to 400º; brush 2 rimmed baking sheets with the EVOO/pesto mixture. Cut the wonton skins diagonally to form triangles. Lay the triangles on the baking sheets (try to fit as many as you can by reforming them into squares with just a little gap between). Brush them with the EVOO and pesto mixture, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Bake these for 5-7 minutes; I did 7 minutes exactly

I often wonder at the phenomenon of the "celebrity chef"-- is it possible to turn your love of food into a national business yet retain the integrity of your kitchen? On my last trip to Frontera Grill in Chicago, while the food was good enough, there was a pre-packaged, rote sort of feel to the place- as if everyone, including the diners were just going through the motions. The restaurant felt devoid of joy and purpose. Maybe this is inevitable when the business empire becomes the front-runner. Having said that, I love the Rick Bayless cookbooks- especially the early ones; there is a palpable sense of his love for the food and culture; the care with which he writes the recipes, the attention to detail and the exaltation of Mexican cuisine is extraordinary. The blood orange margarita recipe comes from his book Fiesta At Rick's . Since blood oranges have a woefully short season, I just bought 15 lbs of blood oranges yesterday and plan to squeeze and freeze so I can bust