I think we can all use some pre-holiday classic desserts, yes?  YAY!

Story time!  

A couple of years ago one of my favorite beauty brands, Philosophy, invited me to their holiday preview event (it was fab).

They hosted the event in a cooking space and perched around the cooking studio were all the scrumptious body scrubs, creams and beauty goodies they were debuting that season.  

One of the best parts of the event was that as part of the packaging; they included a recipe for gingerbread cookies.   I saved it all the while and just made these the other night during the storm.  

The came out scrumptious – a perfect gingerbread cookie.  I added some powdered sugar when they came out of the oven for added sweetness.  Here’s the recipe below…  Thanks Philosophy!

6 cups of flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp powder

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup packed, light brown sugar

4 tsp allspice

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup unsulfured molasses

Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder into a large bowl.  Put aside.

Mix butter and light brown sugar in a bowl until fluffy.  Mix in spices, black pepper, salt, eggs and molasses.  Add flour mixture.  Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic.  Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out dough onto a lightly floured work surface to about 1-inch thick.  Cut into shapes with cookie cutter.  Use baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies 10 – 12 minutes.

Add cookie icing and or/sprinkles.   (I used powdered sugar).

This is a (way) more elegant take on that and I hope you love it!

1 sheet of puff pastry, (I used Pepperidge Farm brand)

1 egg white

½ cup crumbled bleu cheese

½ cup dark chocolate, crumbled (break up with your fingers)

½  teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 pinch of kosher salt

sprinkling of flour

Preheat oven to 400.

In a bowl, combine bleu cheese, dark chocolate, cayenne and salt.  Mix up with your hand and set aside.

Sprinkle the flour on a clean work surface.

Using 1 sheet of puff pastry (there are two per package), roll out onto your floured surface.  Using a pizza wheel (or a butter knife) cut the pastry into fours.  (Make a big cross, making 4 squares.)

Spoon in your chocolate cheese filling into the center of each square.

Brush the inside edges of the square with the egg white.

Flop each square over making a diamond shape.  Press the edges of each (now) triangle with the back of a fork.

Brush the tops with the egg wash.

Place your turnovers onto a sheet of parchment paper.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.

I sprinkled the tops with a touch of cayenne and served them with vanilla ice cream.

TO DIE FOR!

Please ignore my poor lighting on the pics; I’m still trying to figure out my lighting situation in my new kitchen… !

1 whole roaster chicken, 3-4 lbs.

2 tablespoons of butter

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 cup of chicken stock

½ cup of orange juice

zest of the half of 1 orange

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 pieces of dried star anise

3 tablespoons of kosher salt

fresh pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.

Fill a large stockpot with cold water and a few cubes of ice.  Place on the side.

In a clean sink, remove your chicken out of the packaging and carefully stick your hand inside the bird and pull out the little bag of guts and discard.  (Marvelous.)  Place the bird inside the pot of cold water.  Take 2 tablespoons of your salt, and sprinkle on top, around and inside the cavity of the chicken.

Let this soak for about 15 minutes.

While your bird is soaking, we can start to prepare the scrumptious orange sauce:

In a large glass bowl, pour in the cup of chicken stock and set aside.

In a small saucepan, add the red wine vinegar and sugar.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  Once it starts to boil, remove from heat and pour directly into the bowl of chicken stock.

Stir.

Now add your star anise, orange zest, orange juice and soy sauce.  Stir well and set aside.

By now, your chicken should be ready to get out of it’s bath.  Remove the chicken from the water, pat it dry and place it in a roasting dish.  (I used a dish with a roasting rack.)

Take 1 tablespoon of butter and smush it inside the cavity of the chicken.

Rub the other tablespoon of butter on the outside of the chicken.

Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of salt on the outside and inside the cavity of the chicken.

Grind some fresh pepper on the outside of the chicken and inside the cavity as well.

Put the chicken in the oven.

After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 350.

After 30 minutes, remove roasting dish from the oven and pour half of your orange mixture inside the cavity of the chicken and the other half on the outside of the chicken.  Put the bird back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

(I cooked my 3 lb. bird for an hour and 15 minutes but use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s done!)

Once your chicken is done, remove from the oven and let him rest for 15 minutes.  (This will help keep the juices in.)

The outside should be crispy and puffy and in the inside, tender and moist.

After 15 minutes of rest, slice, plate and serve with fresh orange slices.

How scrumptious is that?

Happy Summer!

Sorry for abandoning you, my darling readers!  I’ve been concentrating on my full-time job (you know the one that pays the supermarket tab) and I had to take care of some business.  By business, I mean moving to Brooklyn.

I know.

And, by moving to Brooklyn it’s not in any means that annoying I’m-a-Manhattanite-but-took-a- step-down-to live-in-Brooklyn typa thing.  (Although, I’m not complaining about the extra square footage!)  I’m originally from Brooklyn so for me it’s good.  Brooklyn and me go together like lox and cream cheese; it just works.  Ya know?

During my brief hiatus, I’ve haven’t stopped cooking so I have lots of new, easy, scrumptious gems of recipes I’ve written to share!  Hungry?

Fabulous!

Here we go…

(PS: This picture is NOT from Brooklyn!  :) It’s taken from a trip to LA )

I made this on Saturday afternoon and I know you will just be in love with this. 

It’s easy, it’s elegant and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser.

½ lb. baby spinach, washed

1 bosc pear, diced

1 granny smith apple, diced

½ cup of fresh plump blueberries, washed

½ cup of good Stilton cheese, crumbled

FOR THE DRESSING:

½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of pear infused white balsamic vinegar (you can use plain white balsamic if you can’t find pear infused)

pinch of salt

few grinds of fresh pepper

In a measuring cup (or small bowl) add your olive oil, salt and pepper.   Whisk in your vinegar slowly and whisk for about 30 seconds, set aside.

In a large salad bowl, all your spinach, apple, pear, blueberries and Stilton.  Pour your dressing on top and toss with your clean hands.

Voila.  You’re friends will love you for this one!

To me, they are one of those universal American foods that we all have a memory or two about. 

Growing up, a barbeque didn’t feel complete if we didn’t have both on the table.  Now that I’m older, I still love the traditional macaroni salad at a barbeque but I make cold pasta salads in the spring and summer and have them as a side dish to everyday meals.

This is an elegant twist on an old favorite and I hope you love it.

1 lb. cavatappi, cooked, drained and cooled down

2 red bell peppers, diced tiny

4 celery stalks, diced tiny

½ of a medium sized Vidalia onion, diced tiny

½ cup of fresh dill, chopped

½ cup of fresh basil, chopped

1 cup of light mayo

2 tablespoons of champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 ½ teaspoons of mustard powder

pinch of salt

few grinds of fresh pepper

In a measuring cup (or small bowl) add your mayo, vinegar, sugar, mustard powder, paprika, salt and pepper and whisk for about a minute.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the cavatappi till al dente.  Take your cooked pasta and run under cold water in a colander.  Set aside.

In a large bowl add your peppers, celery, onion, cooked pasta and toss with your clean hands.  Quickly add your dressing toss again with your hands.  Now add your bail and dill.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Now, tell me that’s not delicious?

This is one of the simplest side dishes I’ve ever made.  It’s SO EASY.  It’s SO DELICIOUS.  And way better than any of that crap they put in one-mouthful-sized cups in the diner.  (And manhattan diners don’t even give you free slaw and pickles <cheapskates> – I’m taking about every other diner in America.)

1 14 oz. package of coleslaw mix, I used a Dole brand

4 tablespoons of light mayo

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 cup of raisins

In a large mixing bowl, dump all ingredients EXCEPT raisins and mix well.  (Use your clean hands it’s much faster.)  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Once refrigerated, mix in your raisins and serve.

(If you add the raisins in they will become rock hard in the fridge.  However, if you have leftovers and are refrigerating the leftovers with raisins that fine too because after about 24 hours the vinegar breaks down the raisins and they actually become soft.)

#soeasyOMG.

I did, and here are the results!  

This is a tasty winter dish that makes use of the abbondanza of squashes available this time of year.  The dates add a unexpected sweetness – it’s filling, different and 100% delicious.

What do you think?  Do you like it!?

1 lb. of spaghetti

1 butternut squash

5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

4 cloves of garlic, diced

1 shallot, diced

1/2 cup of pignoli nuts

1/2 cup of fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup of fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup of pitted dates, chopped

1 & 1/4 cups of cold water

pinch of salt

few grinds of fresh pepper

1/4 cup of grated locatelli romano cheese

More grated cheese for serving

Preheat the oven to 400.

Cut your butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Place your halves on a sprayed baking sheet, flesh side up.  Brush the tops with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and dot the butter on each half.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, until flesh can be pricked with a fork and is tender.

While your squash is baking, heat the other 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat.  When hot (not smoking), add your garlic and shallots.  Saute until soft and golden, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In another small saucepan, dry toast for your pignolis on low heat.  Stir them constantly (otherwise they’ll burn!) for about 2 minutes until they just start to turn golden.  Remove from heat and set aside.

When the squash is done, remove the squash and scoop it out of the skin.  (Be careful – it’s hot!)

Take the spooned out flesh and put it in a food processor (or blender).

Also add your sauteed garlic and shallots (with the oil you cooked them in), the toasted pignoli nuts, 1/4 cup of grated cheese and the cold water.  Pulse until it’s smooth and fluid (about 3 minutes).  If you feel it’s still a little rich, you can add a few more tablespoons of water and pulse.

When your sauce is done, you can leave it in the food processor while you begin to cook the spaghetti.

In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil and cook your spaghetti until al dente.  About 8-10 minutes.

Drain your spaghetti and put back into the pot that you cooked it in.  Add your butternut sauce and combine.

Add the chopped dates, fresh basil and fresh parsley.