If You Give a Lea a Cookie...

She will want a dozen more.

While I LOVE all desserts, I am a total cookie monster. When I first started baking in my teens, I had a few specialties. Hands down, my most popular was the chocolate chip cookies from The Joy of Cooking. My dad has a huge sweet tooth and still asks for them to this day.

This Mother's Day, I was in charge of the desserts. So I immediately thought...COOKIES! Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies and there are a trillion recipes out there, many claiming to be "the best." But who wants to keep making the same ones over and over and over? Not me. So instead, I made hazelnut toffee chocolate chip cookies.

Let's just say, the moment I ate the first one I turned blue and fuzzy. Thank goodness the recipe made about four dozen because no one wanted to stop eating these delicious morsels. My counter and kitchen table looked like a sea of cookies -- pre-scooped oven ready on sheets and freshly baked on cooling racks. Absolute heaven.

So here are my tips for this recipe:

• Since you need to put the oatmeal in a food processor, do the nuts in it too after you take the oatmeal out. Then do the toffee in there too. Make it easy on yourself -- no chopping by hand!
• Get a cookie scoop. It will be your best friend, just trust me. Plus each one will be the perfect size, making baking time easier.

General tips:

• Bring your ingredients to room temperature. You have probably heard this before, but it really is the number one rule for baking (with some exceptions). There is no way you can properly cream your butter and sugar without this step. If you are patient and do this, your cookies will be a lot softer and won't get stale as quickly.

C is for _____. Come on, go bake these already!

Palate Pleasing Pizza

Pizza is one of those foods that even when bad, is still good. So why not try and make it at home? The worst you can end up with is good if you consider it to be bad. Do you follow?

What really gets me is how expensive a delivery pizza is, considering the ingredients used. We aren't talking about fontina cheese, truffle oil, and a farm fresh egg on this pie. Just some mediocre pepperoni and mozzarella that is uber processed.

So my dear reader, are you ready to erase that pizza delivery place from your cell? I know you can do it! Now now, I understand that half the beauty of a pizza night is the convenience. I'm not denying that making your own pizza from start to finish will be more work. But I can assure you that you will feel better about what you are eating and maybe you will be a little inspired by all the topping choices. If you're still on the fence, I'll do you a solid and recommend you pick up some pre-made dough. We aren't talking that already cooked stuff, I want you to roll it out yourself. It won't be that hard after it comes to room temperature.

Maybe you are the type of person that doesn't mind whipping up dough. If so, Food and Wine has a bunch of great crust recipes. I've tried several and they all seem to be good. One time I got the perfect bubbles and I was so giddy. Of course, I couldn't remember how I made it, so it hasn't happened again.

Last week Josh and I made one of our favorite at-home pizzas topped with marinara mixed with a little adobo sauce, onion (we normally use red, but only had yellow), smoked mozzarella, sliced garlic, and this time, some sliced red peppers. If I have a couple extra minutes, I often roast the red pepper for a smokier flavor.

This is what I'm talking about people! A pizza like that would cost about $16 in our area and I just used what was leftover in my fridge. Be creative and get some great cheese, your taste buds will thank you.

Check out Mark Bittman's view on homemade pizza for even more inspiration. Ciao!

Look Back on Seder

Preparing Passover really wasn't that bad. I spent most of my non-working hours in the kitchen the week before seder, but that's a-okay with me. If you plan out what to make each night, most things can be refrigerated ahead of time, in fact, some should.

Here's a rundown of some of the most popular items I made:

Matzo Balls

1 cup matzo meal
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons schmaltz (rendered seasoned chicken fat, sold at butcher shops) at room temperature
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup seltzer

Bring the schmaltz to room temperature in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix together. Separate your eggs and add them to the bowl, mix. Add seltzer and mix until it all comes together: DON'T OVER MIX!

Cover your bowl and put it in the fridge for at least one hour.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a simmer. With wet hands, roll out 1-ounce balls (about the size of a walnut). Add balls to water and simmer until tender, light and fluffy in the center, 45 to 60 minutes. (To test centers, insert a toothpick, which should slide easily all the way through.) Drain and cool in a baking dish and then cover and put it in the freezer. Don't ask me why, it's just better that way.

Sephardic Charoset

If you like bland food, this recipe isn't for you. As a child I had very fond memories of a charoset my Iranian grandmother made. So this year, I was determined to make my own with a faint memory of what it tasted like.

2/3 cup hazelnuts
2 cups whole pitted dates
1/3 cup whole blanched almonds
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 tablespoons sweet red wine
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (you may want less if you don't like cloves that much)
2 shredded Granny Smith Apples
2/3 cup sliced banana

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and toast your nuts in a pie plate (about 10 minutes). You will want to stir them around a couple of times to make sure they don't burn.

Combine nuts, dates, raisins, and golden raisins in a food processor. Process until ground, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. (Mixture will be thick and crumbly but will hold together when pressed.) Add wine, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves; pulse 4 times or until combined. Add apple and banana; pulse 4 times or until combined. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of days. The flavors will combine and mellow out. Trust me with this one, let it sit and taste it a day or so later, that will give you a true feeling for how it will sit on the palate during seder. If you need to make adjustments you will know at this point.

Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

6 large egg whites
2 cups superfine sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon balsamic
2 ounces Trader Joe's dark chocolate, finely chopped

Topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 container raspberries
1 1/2 ounces Trader Joe's dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a flat cookie sheet with parchment paper. Trace a 9-inch cake pan on the paper and turn the paper over. You should still be able to see the circle.

Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites in a stand mixer until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.

Add the chocolate: Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and then the chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything with a rubber spatula until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. DO NOT MIX, FOLD! You want to keep it fluffy.

Put a dab of meringue under each corner to secure the parchment paper. To shape the meringue pour a mound in the middle. Then with a large frosting spatula, create a cake shape in the circle you drew. Smooth the tops and the sides.

Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and cook for one hour. When it's ready, it should look crisp and dry on top, and squishy in the middle.

Turn off the oven and open the door slightly; let the meringue cool completely in the oven.

Ready for the hard part? You will most likely need two people. Put a large serving platter on top so it is just touching, but not actually putting any pressure. In a coordinated fashion flip the meringue onto the plate. Remember, this thing falls apart easily! After your heart slows down and the meringue is safely flipped, peel off the parchment.

Now it's time to decorate!!!

Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter the raspberries on top. Now take your chocolate and a peeler and make chocolate curls. Collect in a container and sprinkle over the top. Voila!

The Countdown to Passover Begins!

Culinary landmarks are no different from any other momentous occasion, they're kinda a big deal. I will be hosting my first Jewish holiday for family (read: In-laws) this Saturday. Of course I had to choose the most difficult one -- PASSOVER! For those of you who don't know, Passover equates to dietary restrictions. Leavened food cannot be consumed for eight gut wrenching days, which is kicked off with two nights of seders.

Josh and I will be hosting night two, since I always go to my Bubbe's for the first seder. Let's just stop right there. Bubbe set the bar high, she works magic in the kitchen. You will never see a jar of that grayish looking gefilte fish in her fridge because she makes it down to the fish grinding. Then you bring my mom into the equation with her should-be world famous brisket. Yeah...the bar is set high. Luckily, they will always share their secrets with me, even though I can barely get Bubbe to write down a recipe. I guess that was passed down in the blood to me? Writing actual measurements are almost impossible, I prefer "enough" and "some" as my guidelines.

Anyway, I digress. So here is what is on the menu so far:

Seder Plate: sephardic charoset and handmade horseradish (and the rest of the normal stuff)

Matzoball soup

Brisket

Red skin potatoes with some kind of herbs most likely

String beans

Roasted asparagus

Chocolate fudge walnut cookies

Almond macaroons - non-coconut variety

Also, the MIL is bringing chopped liver and Carla is bringing another dessert.

For night one, I'm going to try making a Chocolate Pavlova with homemade whipped cream and raspberries.

I'm playing it safe this year for seder to get my feet wet. But, during the week I will try and create some more inventive Pesach dishes.  I swear it can't be that hard...at least for a Reformed Jew :)

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts have a reputation of being so gross you have to feed them to the family dog. Not true! They are a fantastic little veggie.

We ate at Graffiato in DC earlier this month and had the most divine brussels sprouts I have ever had. They have this delicious light cream sauce that I still can't put my finger on. Maybe some sort of Creme Fraiche? Pancetta, maple, and bits of hard boiled egg to boost the flavor.

Want an easy at home recipe? Start with trimming the bottoms just a little, then halving the little darlings lengthwise. Next you will want to parboil them so they are bright green.

In the meantime, dice up some pancetta and brown it in a pan. Once that is completed, add your parboiled brussels sprouts and cook until browned. 

Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar and serve.

Throughout this post I really wanted to refer to brussels sprouts as BS, but it just didn't seem right. Enjoy this delightful little cabbage, but don't eat too much because then you will be tooting all night long.

Update: I had the BS again, and it appears the cream may just be sour cream.

Easy Dinners

Weekdays get crazy, we come home tired, and just want to do something simple. Well that doesn't mean that you can't have something delicious and nutritious!

Here a couple of easy ideas:

Tofu Tacos

Cube up some tofu and toss it in cornstarch, garlic powder, and ginger powder.

Fry it in the wok (not deep fry) with just enough oil to make it golden brown.

Slice up some green cabbage.

Spread some hoison on a tortilla, lay down the cabbage and tofu and you are good to go!

Lazy Lady's Lasagna

Cook some whole wheat penne, then toss it with your favorite red sauce and a vegetable like peas or spinach. Those are vegetables I always keep on hand in my freezer for quick meals.

Brown up some ground beef or use a vegetarian substitute.

Mix together some part skim ricotta and pesto.

Now time to layer: spread some sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, layer some pasta/vegetable, layer the ricotta/pesto, layer the meat, layer the rest of the pasta, and top with shredded mozzarella.

Put under the broiler  to melt and slightly brown.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken Salad

Put some pretzels in the food processor and grind until you get small bits.

Mix together some whole grain mustard, dijon mustard, a little red wine vinegar and oil.

Dredge the chicken breast in the mustard sauce, then dip in the pretzels. 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 mins, flipping once.

Slice up the chicken and serve over a salad. Keeping with the theme you can use honey mustard dressing.

Simple Salmon

Clean and pat dry a piece of salmon.

In a bowl, mix together 1/3 cup yogurt, 2 tbsp light mayo, juice from half a lemon, lots of dill (dried or fresh), a dash of white pepper, and a clove of garlic (you could also sub garlic powder).

Spread the yogurt mixture on the salmon and cook at 375 until the fish flakes.

While your salmon cooks you can saute some baby spinach in olive oil with some salt, pepper, and a finishing squeeze of lemon. Do the lemon after you take the spinach off of the heat.

Throw in a bag of 3 minute microwavable brown rice from Trader Joes and enjoy!

Notice that these posts weren't that specific (I mean even more so than I usually am). That's because following a recipe slows you down. You have to get into that groove in the kitchen. Taste as you go along and trust yourself. 

Cooking isn't about being in your head. You can get in there, spend some time with your family and let the stress of the day melt away. The worst that can happen by taking the recipe training wheels off is that you learn. And maybe have to order chinese delivery if your meal really is that bad.

Some Favorite Recipes That Aren't Mine

Here are some of my favorite recipes that are actually worth following:

1. Three Bean and Beef Chili by Ellie Krieger
2. Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Mascarpone and Chocolate by Giada (let's be honest, she doesn't need a last name)
3. Mushroom, Butternut Squash & Gruyere Tart by Paul Roberts
4. Cumin-Spiced Red Lentil Burgers by Ann Withey
5. Sweet Breakfast Quinoa by Jill Donenfeld

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

<3 L