Monthly Archives: September 2009

Scrambled eggs and pasta…….really.

Posted by suzyhomebaker in kid friendly, savory and tagged with ,

I saw this on that show “Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network. I think it was the breakfast episode where one of the chefs enjoyed this at a restaurant. So I made my own version and it came out pretty good. And since the meal includes three of Riley’s favorite foods, pasta, eggs, and cheese, she especially enjoyed it, as you can see. Cheap, super easy to make and kid friendly.

serves 2

8 oz. angel hair pasta (or linguini or spaghetti)
3 eggs beaten
2-3 Tbsp. grated cheese (i used parmesan cause that’s all I had but Asiago or romano would be great)
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Melt butter and olive oil in saute pan on medium heat. Add pasta and toss. Add eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Toss till eggs are cooked to your liking. Plate and grate some more cheese on top if you like.

IMG_1660

Cape May…olay!

Posted by suzyhomebaker in reviews

So I’m finally writing about our yearly vacation to the jersey shore. This year Cape May was warm, the beaches were inviting and the food was, well, just okay. Now that we have a 2-year-old, eating out in nice places isn’t really an option. Well, not if we want to have a nice meal and not if we don’t want the people around us coming at us with their silverware. So we opted for kid-friendly places and made out okay. I won’t get into the pizzas we ate and the restaurants we waited for hours to get into to no avail. But I will speak of the three delightful experiences we did have eating out in Cape May, NJ.

IMG_1185Hot Dog Tommy’s was on the block we were staying, Jackson Street, right in the middle of everything. It’s a small joint, literally a window to order from and no seating. There was almost always a line no matter what time of day but oddly the day we chose to have lunch from Tommy’s, no line. I had the signature dog, the Tornado, covered in mashed potatoes, chili, cheddar cheese, banana peppers, and sour cream. Of what I ate it was very good, the mashed potatoes added an interesting texture along side the chili and hot dog, with a little kick from the peppers. Before a sea gull scammed the last 1/3 of my dog, I was thoroughly enjoying my Tornado experience.If you like a dog covered with lots of….stuff. Get a dog from Tommy’s.

IMG_1170IMG_1174IMG_1182Next stop, The Lobster House, highly recommended by the Zeppetella’s, so you know this place is good. It’s located as you drive into Cape May, on the fishing docks, so the fish is fresh as it gets. Instructions from the Zeps were as follows: go in the fish market entrance, not the fancy restaurant, and order your food, (Mr. Zep said the fried scallops were phenomenal so Derek had no choice but to get them, I got crab stuffed shrimp, and Riley had the fish and chips) next find a table in the outdoor seating area located on the dock, wait for your number to be called, get your food, eat, and enjoy the view. Unfortunately we forgot about the cheap pitchers of beer and iced tea and had already purchased our drinks in the market. But the food was good. Derek scarfed down those scallops and Riley was even eating the fried flounder and fries, and my crab stuffed shrimp was so savory. Not much was left on our plates. But of course, I couldn’t have lunch without being accosted by a sea gull. One swooped down and stole a butter patty. Man, they are balsy here.

IMG_2181IMG_2180IMG_2182

So lastly, and certainly not leastly, is the Mad Batter, located directly across from our condo. They serve a mean breakfast and offer outdoor seating on their front porch. There were other families there so we felt no remorse for any of Riley’s shinnanigans. I ordered the thick sliced orange and almond french toast, Derek, the Chesepeake Bay Benedict, and Riley had a pancake. I know I’ve said this before but I love breakfast and I love when restaurants get it so right on. My french toast was delectible. A harmonious combination of the orange flavor with the crunch of almonds. So good, I could eat it for all three meals. Derek enjoyed his benedict as well. On top of the poached eggs was a generous portion of lump crabmeat, so much so, I couldn’t see the eggs, and topped with a lemony caper hollandaise. Riley’s pancake was bigger than her head and tasted homemade, fluffy and buttery. Bravo Mad Batter. They’ve been there forever and now I know why. Maybe we’ll try dinner next year.

Rosemary’s Ribs

Posted by suzyhomebaker in savory and tagged with

So we were all down in Barnegat hanging with our friends, the Zeppetellas, Hardimans, and Gilligans, and of course the food was flowing all weekend long. So I had to write about Mrs. Zep’s  ribs, well actually they are “Big Daddy’s” recipe, the guy from the next food network star. But she made them her own and they were bone sucking good. Not too spicy but made with just enough kick. We are never disappointed when we eat at the Zeps. And oh yes, how can I forget our luxurious boat ride along the Barnegat bay with Captain Larry. Five stars for the wonderful hospitality, satisfying and scrumptious meals, and heart-pounding outdoor recreation. Can’t wait for the Cranberry Festival in October!

IMG_1481

RIBS WITH BIG DADDY RUB adapted from his recipe

4 pounds St. Louis-style ribs
2 cups Big Daddy Rub, recipe follows
2 cups cola
2 cups water

Big Daddy Rub:
3 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup smoked paprika
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons hot chili powder
2 tablespoons cayenne
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

In a medium-sized bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rub ribs with 1 cup Big Daddy Rub until evenly coated. Allow ribs to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place ribs in large roasting pan and cover with the cola and water. Cover with foil and cook in oven for 2 hours. Remove ribs from oven and allow to cool. Slice ribs into individual pieces. In a large bowl, toss ribs with another 1 cup of rub until well-coated. Spread ribs out on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for an additional 20 minutes until caramelized.

Mer, Menage a Trois wine, and ribs. What a perfect threesome. Dig in!

Mer, Menage a Trois wine, and ribs. What a perfect threesome. Dig in!

Ricotta Cookies

Posted by suzyhomebaker in Uncategorized and tagged with

I made a delicious pasta recipe with some locally-made ricotta and had some leftover so I dug out this recipe from the old bakery days. They’re cakey but light and satisfied my craving for something sweet. I altered the recipe a bit, reducing the sugar and adding some lemon flavoring. You could make the dough balls and freeze them for a couple months, break ‘em out when you get the urge. They’re simple to make and the dough is almost better than the baked cookie…almost.

Ricotta Cookies

1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. soft unsalted butter
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
15 oz. whole milk ricotta (part-skim if you wanna go low-fat)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat sugar and butter till creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Beat well. Add half the flour, then add soda, powder and salt till well blended. Stir in ricotta then add rest of flour. Blend well. Drop by tablespoons (or small ice cream scoop) 2″ apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until top is dry and edges are slightly golden. Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Eat em. They’re yummy!IMG_1537

Chickens, Ducks and Coyotes…oh my!

Posted by suzyhomebaker in cake and tagged with

Last week we spent a couple days visiting our friends Mina, Marco, and Denise at Holler Farm in Oxford, NY. We had such a good time catching up with friends and hanging by a campfire.

The chickens and ducks entertained Riley and our hosts cooked up delicious meals each day, with most ingredients coming from their various gardens. Pesto pasta and mixed greens, zucchini, corn and hot dogs cooked over a firepit, homemade pancakes in the morning, and of course dessert; ricotta tart topped with fresh strawberries and pecan-streusel coffee cake. It doesn’t get better than that. Aside from cooking and eating most of our visit, we hiked along the many winding trails Marco cleared, finding a hidden pond, water spring, and all sorts of edible berries. Maybe a trip again in the fall to see all the amazing leaf colors. A couple recipes to follow starting with my Pecan coffeecake and ending with Denise’s ricotta tart, post coming soon.

IMG_1368

Pecan-Streusel Coffee Cake adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients
streusel
  • 2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
  • 1/2 cup pecans, toasted, coarsely chopped

Cake

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole-milk or reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek-style yogurt*

Preparation

streusel

  • Combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add melted butter; toss with fork to blend. Using fingertips, rub mixture together until small clumps form. Mix in pecans. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

cake

  • Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add half of flour mixture; beat just until blended. Add yogurt; beat just until blended. Beat in remaining flour mixture just until blended.
  • Spoon half of batter into prepared baking pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle half of streusel evenly over batter. Spoon remaining batter in dollops over streusel, then spread evenly over with offset spatula. Sprinkle remaining streusel evenly over top.
  • Bake cake until streusel topping is brown and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Dutchess County Fair 2009

Posted by suzyhomebaker in Hudson Valley reviews

What better way to finish out the summer with friends, seriously greasy good food, rickety rides and carnies than at the Dutchess County Fair. Felice and I look forward to this event every year and talk and plan our attack pretty much the whole year. So after sitting in an hour of traffic getting into the gates we were all starving for some classic fair food. And we all had to make a trip to the loo. We’ll make this post short and sweet so as not to drag it out for days. We all feel like fat cows and don’t want to be reminded for weeks of our piggy ways.

In attendance: Myself, Derek, Riley, in one car, Felice, Kalik, and Brandy in the other.

Arrival Time: Us: 12 pm  Them: 2pm

I won’t list what everyone ate individually cause that’s  just mean.

What was consumed (in order of consumption):

  • Iced Coffee: Needed after only one cup this morning. Helped a lot.
  • London Broil sandwich with the works, onion, cheese & mushrooms: Tasty but not as good as the first year.
  • Fries: Very good, not too greasy, nice amount of salt. Lots of burnt crispy ones on the bottom.
  • Lemonade: fresh squeezed with a souvenier cup, refills were only $4. What a bargain. Hey bottled water was $2-4.
  • Hot Roasted Peanuts: Hot, Roasted in the shells. Nice and cheap, $1.50.
  • Corn Dog: Riley enjoyed this one. She’ll take the credit.
  • Barbecued Turkey Leg: A bit salty from what I heard but very big. Most everyone could not finish it.
  • Barbecue Chicken: Again, same vendor so a bit salty but it appeared to be tasty.
  • Funnel Cake: Greasy goodness but bad for the tummy. Nobody brought tums? What were we thinking?
  • Deep-Fried Oreos: I love that they are Deep-Fried as opposed to Shallow-Fried. That definitely the key to a fried oreo. Covered in powdered sugar, fried, warm and soft. Dude. Nuff said.
  • 4-H Milkshakes: Can’t go to the fair without getting one or two of these. So thick, rich and creamy. We waited only 30 minutes maybe? Chocolate=awesomeness, Vanilla=sweet & smooth, Strawberry=not chocolate, sorry Kalik.
  • Chocolate covered cheesecake: Oh wait, we never got that. Maybe next year. Definitely next year.
  • Kettle Corn: sweet and salty and somewhat warm. Very satisfying.
  • Water: washes it all down.

Purchased but not consumed at the fair: Maple cotton candy: Bag is almost gone. Amish fruit breads: peach, strawberry & apple. Great to freeze for french toast for later and super heavy to carry.

Did I miss something? Oh ya, we saw cows, llamas, horses, chickens, sheep, goats, rabbits, turkeys, freaky families, short shorts, friends, girl scouts, our plumber, two actors from In Living Color and their family, mullets, cowboy hats and boots, a lady with horns and vulcan ears, silicone, crafts, airbrush t-shirts, pan flute band, elephant & camel, pretty flowers, tagged butterflies, mud stuck cars, sleeping babies, bees, pink piglets, and the gate as we exited.

Top-Crust Peach Pie

Posted by suzyhomebaker in pies

It’s about time I posted a recipe. I made this for our Fourth of July party. It was really tasty sweet and a very appropriate dessert for a summer party. It was also easy to make and a couple people noted the secret ingredient they couldn’t quite pinpoint, cardamom. BTW, this one’s from Bon Appetit. The July issue looks like it has some yummy peach recipes.

Ingredients

crust

  • 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

filling

  • 2 1/2 pounds firm but ripe peaches, peeled, halved, pitted, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar

Preparation

crust

  • Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles very coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons ice water; process using on/off turns until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and knead briefly just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 turns. Flatten dough into disk; wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
  • Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer dough round to prepared baking sheet and chill 20 minutes. Using 2 1/2- to 3-inch heart-shaped or scalloped cookie cutter, cut out shapes from dough, spacing close together (leave cutouts on baking sheet). If necessary, remove dough scraps, reroll, and cut out additional shapes for total of about 20. Chill on sheet while preparing filling.

filling

  • Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place peach slices in medium bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cardamom and toss to coat. Transfer peach filling to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Carefully arrange cutouts atop filling in slightly overlapping concentric circles, starting at edge and working toward center, covering filling completely. Brush crust with beaten egg, then sprinkle with raw sugar.
  • Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown, peaches are tender, and juices are bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 30 minutes. Spoon warm or room-temperature pie into bowls. Serve with vanilla ice cream.