A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash October 24, 2009

Trick or treat

Smell my feet

Give me some good…

 

squash to eat? 

Yes you heard right.  Lou Seibert Pappas takes pumpkins and squash and transforms them into dishes you will ask for time and time again.  Her A Harvest of Pumpkin and Squash cookbook is a full force grasp on the seasonal delights of hearty fall and early winter produce.

 

“Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Meat Sauce” – “Roasted Autumn Root Vegetables” – “Delicate Squash Rings with arugula, fuyu permission, dried cranberries, and feta” – “Five-Spice Pumpkin-Ginger Cake” – Do I even need to go on?  Warm, comforting, and sweet, Pappas’ flavors will fill your house with welcoming smells, while satisfying your hunger all at once. 

 

Five-Spice Pumpkin-Ginger Cake

Serves 12

 

6 TBS (3/4 stick) butter, melted

3 TBS grated peeled fresh ginger

½ cup honey

½ cup molasses

2/3 cup pumpkin puree, homemade or canned

½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 large eggs

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

½ cup thinly slivered crystallized ginger

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Whipped cream or ice cream for serving (optional)

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter a 9-inch round baking pan 2 inches deep or a 9 inch spring form pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

 

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, fresh ginger, honey, and molasses.  Using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat until well mixed.  Add the pumpkin, yogurt, and eggs and beat until smooth.  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda five-spice powder mixture and mix just until incorporated. 

 

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Sprinkle the top with the crystallized ginger and chocolate chips.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan and peel off the parchment paper.  Serve warm or at room temperature cut into wedges and topped with whipped cream, if desired.  

From the Earth to the Table October 23, 2009

The end of baseball season, marked with coming rain and dropping temperatures, leads us from one sports haven to the next.  Monday night football, beers with boys and cheering with the girls.  It’s fingers food.  It’s rich succulent dishes.  It’s Pizza.  What better way to enjoy the game, then sharing a victory together over a big pie?  

 

Tomorrow, Saturday the 24^th, the Angles take on the Yankees again.  So cancel those dinner reservations.  Call your friends, get out your pizza stone and let’s get ready to rumble. 

 

Let John Ash’s, From the Earth to the Table, take your pizza party out of the delivery man’s box.  His “Potato, Red Onion, Arugula, and Brie Pizza,” will wow your guests.  Settle back with a “Double Olive and Pepper Pizza with Prosciutto,” for walk on the satisfyingly salty side.   Take your pizza rich and creamy finish with his “Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pizza with Sage.” 

 

Each pizza as with the recipes throughout Ash’s book, is carefully paired to a wines which compliments it.  Subtly he takes the fabulous to the extraordinary, as the wine highlights your food’s natural flavors. 

 

Make sure to use a pizza stone, which you can pick up at across the way, to truly develop a crisp crust with just the right bite.  By pre-heating your oven and stone together, you will ensure your pizza comes out just as wonderful as the pizzeria down the street. 

 

Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Pizza with Sage

Makes enough topping for one 14-inch or two 8 to 10 inch pizzas

 

1 recipe Pizza Dough with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Herbs (also featured in From the Earth to the Table0

4 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced

Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper

12 ounces creamy blue cheese, such as Point Reyes Farmstead Original Blue or an Italian Gorgonzola dolce, crumbled

¼ cup fresh sage

 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees, preferably with a pizza stone or brick-ove insert in the oven.

 

In a deep, heavy-bottom pan, heat 3 TBS olive oil and sauté the onions until golden brown, stirring regularly to prevent burning.  This may take 15 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Scatter the onions evenly over the top to the prepared dough.  Scatter the blue cheese and sage leaves on top and drizzle with remaining TBS of olive oil.  Bake the pizza on the stone for about 15 minutes or until the dough is puffed, golden, and cooked through. 

 

Recommended wine: A rich Petite Sirah or Zinfandel with bright, jammy, berry notes.

A Closer Look at Creative Candles October 16, 2009

We wanted to give you a closer look at why the candles we carry are so beautiful. 

 

Candle racks hang from the ceiling at the Creative Candles factory in Kansas City, Missouri. The effect is like massive candelabras in an array of bright, bold colors.

Wicks are strung on the rack and then the dipping process begins.

Racks holding the longest tapers, 39.4″ in height can weigh up to 100lbs when the candles are completely dipped.

 

All pillars are poured by hand.   The wicks are one of the most important elements in the candle.   The “secret recipe” Creative Candles uses for their wicks makes these candles burn the way they do.  Once the candles have cooled, each one is separately measured for the correct size, cleaned of the outer silicone residue on the outside of the candle and shaved on the bottom. A blowtorch is used to lightly melt the candle, making for a smooth, finished product.

The Big Book of Chicken October 16, 2009

“Why did the chicken cross the road?”  I don’t know, but with Maryana Vollstedt’s, The Big Book of Chicken, I’m sure going to eat him.  Vollstedt takes you by the wing through delicious appetizers and hors d’oeuvres to elegantly roasted chicken, zesty casseroles, fresh salads and simply pleasing sandwiches.  Chicken is no longer just chicken, as she transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.   Check out her “Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Gorgonzola.”  The rich cheese pairs well red wine and the spinach provides excellent color.

 

Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Gorgonzola

4 Servings

 

1 TBS olive oil

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

2 shallots, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

½ tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

8 ounces (about 1 cup) orzo, cooked according to package directions, drained

¼ cup chicken stock

½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola

 

In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm with the oil.  Add the bell pepper, shallots and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and chicken and mix well.  Season with the salt and pepper to taste.  Toss with the orzo and stock and sprinkle with the Gorgonzola.  Serve immediately. 

Warm Soup on a Rainy Day October 14, 2009

A big bowl of warm soup on a cold and rainy day will fill your house with comfort.  Paulette Mitchell’s, A Beautiful Bowl of Soup, presents the best vegetarian and vegan recipes even a meat eater will crave.  Her “Wild Rice-Cranberry Soup” mixes the nutty flavor of wild rice with the tang of cranberries .  Her traditional “Cream of Tomato Soup” will hearken you back to grade school.

 

For a twist on the ordinary try her “Roasted Bell Pepper Soup,” presented in a ying-yang effect of colors or check out her “Pumpkin Stew,” served in pumpkins!

 

By using an immersion blender when you are making soups that need pureeing, you not only skip the transitional process of pouring hot soup into a blender, you also ensure a smooth finish to your soup.  An immersion blender will allow you move throughout the soup, finding all the little bits that haven’t yet been broken down.   Come in to find out more about how an immersion blender can enhance your kitchen.

 

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup with lemon vinaigrette

Vegan recipe if crème fraiche and sour cream are omitted

 

Vinaigrette

2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Season to taste and set aside

 

Soup

2 TBS olive oil

1 large russet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks (about 2¼ cups)

1 cup onion, chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable stock

3 red bell peppers, roasted

3 yellow peppers, roasted

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the potato, onion, carrot, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.  Transfer half of the vegetables to a large sauce pan. 

Stir 2 cups of vegetable broth stock into each pan.  Coarsely chop the roasted bell peppers.  Put the red bell peppers in one pan and the yellow bell peppers in the other.  Increase the heat to high under both pans and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover both pans and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Separately puree the red and yellow bell peppers until smooth.  Return soups to serving temperature.

 

To Serve: using ½ cup measuring cups, pour soups into a shallow wide bowl in a steady stream at the same time.  Garnish with a drizzle of vinaigrette. 

Stonewall Kitchen Breakfast October 13, 2009

The first cold front has started to roll into the Lamorinda area, and what better way to welcome it then a warm and hearty breakfast.  Jonathan King, Jim Stott and Kathy Gunst present a collection of great morning meals with their Stonewall Kitchen Breakfast cookbook.  Wonderfully warm and inviting, their “Greens, Sausage, and Cheddar Breakfast Strata,” can conveniently be prepared the night before.  Simply slip out of bed and into a robe, pop this beautiful dish in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes and come back when it’s ready. 

 

Check out their “Eggs Baked in Pancetta Cups,” which brings together the wonderful salty and peppery flavors of Italian bacon with fresh eggs in a refined and new look. 

 

Let breakfast stray from the traditionally sweet into the savory side, with “Basil and Goat Cheese Muffins.”  Served hot with a simple lemon-herb butter, these tangy muffins will be the ideal start to your day.

 

Basil and Goat Cheese Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

 

Vegetable spray for muffin pans

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 TBS baking powder

Salt

1 cup milk

¾ stick (6 TBS) unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

Freshly grated black pepper

4 ounces soft goat cheese, will chilled and crumbled

2 TBS thinly sliced fresh basil

1 TBS chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp grated lemon zest

 

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees.

Lightly coat 12 muffin cups with vegetable spray.

Sift flour, baking powder, and 1/8 tsp of salt in a bowl.  In a lard bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, egg, a tiny dash of salt, and generous grinding of black pepper.  Add the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated.

In a small bowl, mix together the goat cheese, basil, thyme, lemon zest and a generous grinding of pepper.  Add 1 TBS of the cheese mixture to the muffin batter and mix to combine.

Fill the prepared muffin cups almost halfway with the batter.  Divide the goat cheese mixture among the muffin cups.  Top with the remaining batter.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are a pale golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (if there’s goat cheese on the toothpick, that’s fine).  Let cook 1 or 2 minutes in the pan and then, using a table knife, gently lift the muffins out of their cups and place them on a cooling rack.  Serve warm. 

 

They are delicious with lemon-herb butter.

 

 

Susie’s Yogurt Pecan Coffee Cake October 11, 2009

Another twist for your mini-bunt pan, from Susie Iventosch

 

Yogurt Pecan Coffee Cake

Cake

½ cup margarine or butter, softened

1½ cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1½ tsp baking powder

1½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1½ cups plain low-fat yogurt

 

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In a larger bowl, cram butter (or margarine), and sugar with electric beater.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each (this is really important to the recipe).  Blend in vanilla.  Add flour mixture alternately with yougurt, beginning and ending with dries.  Mix well.  See assembly below.

 

Cinnamon-Pecan Filling

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans

½ tsp cinnamon

 

Mix well.

 

To Assemble Coffee Cake

Grease either a 10-inch tube pan or a 10-inch Bundt pan with cooking spray.  Sprinkle ¼ of the filling on the bottom of the pan.  Spread 1/3 of the cake batter over filling, taking care not to mix with topping.  Repeat process two more times, ending with final ¼ filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the coffee cake comes out clean.  Cool in pan and when cool, turn out upside down onto a plate.  Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Creative Candles October 11, 2009

We just received our Fall and Holiday assortment of candles from Creative Candles.  These exquisite candles are made of a blend of natural waxes and 100% cotton wicks.  About 98% of the wax is consumed so there is little dripping and long burn times.  They are available in 4 lengths of tapers, pillars and balls in a beautiful color palette. 

 

Candles create a wonderful ambiance whether you are entertaining for 1 or 100!! Make sure to add the soft and welcoming glow this season. 

Juice Box Heroes, “Song favorites for parents, fun new lyrics for kids.” October 10, 2009

Moraga residents Craig and Scott Coane were born and raised in Northern California. Music became their passion early in life, but as the brothers became dads, late nights and early mornings didn’t work.

Their music took a new turn with bathroom jams for their tub-splashing kids and singalongs at birthday parties and preschool gatherings. They couldn’t help notice how parents struggled with the right music choices for their little ones: many kids songs became annoying while favorite tunes from their past had inappropriate lyrics for young ears. Enter Juice Box Heroes.

Heralded as “song favorites for parents, fun new lyrics for kids”, Juice Box Heroes takes the very best songs from the past and parodies them for young kids.

Craig and Scotts debut album “No Sugar Added” is now available at across the way. 

TOTALLY BAMBOO October 2, 2009

We just received a new shipment of Totally Bamboo cutting boards and bowls.  Bringing back in some of our favorites like dishwasher safe bamboo cutting board, we also added some fresh and fabulous looks.  Our largest bamboo prep board to date, is a stunning excuse to get into the kitchen. 

 

Totally Bamboo was the first company to begin manufacturing cutting boards out of bamboo.  Several years ago, Tom Sullivan and Joanne Chen discovered that it is 16% stronger than maple, making it perfect for a cutting surface.

 

Come in today to see more of what bamboo can do for you.