One of my favorite parts of summer is sweet corn. It’s the only time during the year I’ll eat corn.

For a reason I can’t quite explain, I only like corn when it’s still on the cob. Frozen corn in a bag? In my world, that’s an ice pack. (Don’t even mention canned corn to me.)

As a child, heated corn was often served during the winter as a side dish. I didn’t want to eat it, but I also didn’t want to be stuck at the table for half the night, so I would swallow spoonfuls like medicine, with big chugs of milk. At the time, it seemed like a good idea, but now I mentally apologize to my digestive system.

Of course, when my parents left the room long enough, I would bury some of the remaining corn in the garbage, always leaving a little on the plate, so as not to draw suspicion.

However, I would happily eat corn on the cob in the summer. Cut it off the cob, I wouldn’t touch it. I still can’t explain why, but once it’s been cut off, it simply reminded me too much of the corn I didn’t like. To this day, I maintain that corn off the cob simply doesn’t taste the same.

I adore tossing a cob or two directly on the grill (okay, I brush it with olive oil first), letting a few of the kernals char ever so slightly. But what happens when the weather ruins your grilling plans?

If you’ve taken advantage of the bounty of sweet corn available in the summer but find rain ruining your plans to grill it, here’s a very tasty alternative that you might just discover tastes even better.

Oven-Roasted Sweet Corn

Print Recipe

Fresh cobs of sweet corn
Butter
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Pull husks back on cobs and remove silk. Replace husks, tying with kitchen twine if necessary to keep closed.

Roast for 30 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through. Remove twine, pull back husks, and slather with butter. Season with salt and pepper.

For me, pasta is more of a delivery vehicle for a favorite sauce, rather than an excitement unto itself. Sure, there are gourmet flavored pastas, which I do enjoy from time to time, but for the most part, I don’t find pasta all that interesting.

A few years back, I discovered spaghetti squash and realized it was an excellent substitute for spaghetti when served with a tomato-meat sauce. I liked the texture, I liked the flavor, and I found it tasted better than noodles. What I didn’t like was the hassle of cooking it, cutting it, and scraping out the strands.

So when I discovered an inexpensive little kitchen gadget that would allow me to turn many vegetables into spirals, I had to get it. I used it for the first time mere days after it arrived, to turn zucchini into curly “pasta”. I tossed the zucchini with some store-bought sauce and served it alongside an easy chicken parmesan.

For a little extra flavor, I dredged the chicken cutlets in shredded parmesan seasoned with Italian seasoning and ground pepper before cooking them.

If you have an abundance of zucchini you don’t know what to do with, turning it into “noodles” is an easy, interesting way to use up some of it. Since I just picked up my produce box yesterday and found it filled with zucchini, you can bet I will be making more meals like this one.

If you’re interested in a spiral vegetable slicer, I’m very happy with this one; it’s easy to use and easy to clean, and it stores the various blades in the gadget itself.

Zucchini Pasta

1 medium zucchini per person, washed
1/2 cup prepared tomato-based pasta sauce or marinara per person

Heat pasta sauce in medium saucepan over medium heat.

While that’s warming, cut the stem end off your zucchini. Depending on the size of the zucchini, you may need to cut then in half, as well. Make sure the suction cups have secured the gadget onto your counter, and place a bowl to the left of the gadget to catch the zucchini strands. Push a flat end onto the circular piece by the blade, then push the spikes into the other end. Your right hand will rotate the zucchini, while your left hand will push the lower handle towards the blade.

Continue with each additional piece of zucchini until you’ve spiralized all the zucchini. Toss the “noodles” in with the warmed sauce, let sit in pan for 1 minute to warm through slightly. Remove from heat and serve.

After considering a dozen various dessert recipes for my parents’ Memorial Day weekend cookout, it was my three year old niece who inadvertently made the decision for me.

When I made my red velvet birthday cake, I sent leftovers throughout the family, so everyone could have some. I’ve never seen K turn down cake before, and considering her love of blueberries, I can’t say I was shocked to hear that she liked this cake.

Well, about a week later, she asked for cake. Confused, my sister-in-law and mom looked at each other, then explained there wasn’t any cake. And K insisted, “I want some of Sara’s cake!” (I wasn’t there, I’m paraphrasing what my mom told me, as well as what my dad told me. But we all get the gist of it, right?)

So, a pint-size toddler made the decision for me – I will be making red velvet cupcakes, from one of the recipes I’ve already posted here. Because I’m not doing something new, I thought I would share some of my favorite patriotic holiday/cookout recipes of all types prior to the weekend.

Coriander Carrot Slaw

Grilled Baby Potatoes

Chicken & Fruit Salad

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad – this dish tastes better when it’s made a day ahead of time

Pre-baked Pizza Crusts – top with your favorite pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings, then grill until cheese melts

Grilled Chicken

Bacon Jam – the perfect condiment to add to burgers, sandwiches, and even hot dogs

Steak Sandwiches – simply grill the vegetables and steak, slice, and serve in sandwich form

Soft Pretzels – great for parties

Red Velvet Cake – can easily make into cupcakes – keep the blueberries and raspberries for a festive touch

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream – a food-coloring free option

Tres Leches Cake – get some fruit with your cake

Salted Peanut Butter Cupcakes – chocolate + peanut butter = all-American favorite

Key Lime Cupcakes – they may not be red, white, and blue, but they use limes that only grow in the Florida Keys, making them truly all-American

Party Cookies – an all-time favorite recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies (with nuts) – the addition of finely chopped pecans makes these cookies taste extra buttery

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (NY Times recipe) – start the dough a day or two ahead of time!

Cherry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Millionaire’s Shortbread – my runner up for the cookout

Fudgy Brownies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Bars – everyone of all ages will love these

Lemon Bars – end the meal with a sweet-tart finish

Frozen Key Lime Pie – for cookouts close to home

Crumble Apple Pie – easily turn this into a double crust pie, for a less messy alternative (simply double the ingredients for the crust)

Apple Tartlets

Fruit Tartlets

I’m more than ready for warmer weather, but Mother Nature doesn’t seem quite ready to fulfill that wish. Needing to find a way to bridge the gap between using my oven and enjoying more summer-like fare, I nearly jumped for joy when I spotted this recipe duo.

I could handle baking breaded chicken in the oven any night of the week, and the accompanying slaw came together quickly while the chicken baked.

The cookbook I found these recipes in stated they are perfect for a picnic, and while they would travel great, they’re also perfect for a little indoor picnic called dinner.

Note: I love cilantro, so I really piled it in; if you’re not a fan, simply substitute parsley. I also added coriander, which I love, to the slaw recipe, and greatly reduced the amount of cumin called for in the original recipe (which was called Cumin Carrot Slaw), as I am not a fan of it in abundance.

Print Recipes

Buttermilk Baked Chicken
adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

4 pound chicken, broken down into 8 pieces
8 slices white bread
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
salt & pepper
peanut oil

Preheat oven to 400*F. Very generously coat a large rimmed baking sheet with peanut oil.

Pulse the bread slices in a food processor fitted with the S blade to form coarse crumbs. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the Parmesan, thyme, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

In another large bowl, combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken pieces in the buttermilk.

Remove chicken, one piece at a time, from the buttermilk mixture (let excess liquid drip into bowl) and coat in the bread crumb mixture. Place breaded pieces on the baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.

Coriander Carrot Slaw
adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, peeled and julienned
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
salt & pepper

Toss all ingredients together; season to taste with salt and pepper.

This meal is perfect: a tender cut of beef, a pan sauce made with brandy (my favorite), lots and lots of shallots, and homemade French fries.

If you’re familiar with Michael Pollan, you likely know his food philosophy is that you can eat whatever you want, as long as you make it yourself. He points out that if we had to make all of own fries, we probably wouldn’t eat them so often. I mean, have you ever cut up baking potatoes into tiny little matchsticks?

A mandoline helps speed up the process, but you still have to deal with heating up the oil to the proper temperature, cooling the oil, then disposing of the oil. And if you lack an exhaust fan that sends those fumes outside (like me), you have a home that smells like oil for about one or two weeks.

That said, for special occasions (I confess, these particular pictures were from New Year’s Eve a couple years back), the fries are completely worth it. And since I buy a whole tenderloin and butcher it myself, steak au poivre is served in this home on a regular basis. Add a side of green beans and some brown-braised onions, and you have a meal worthy of celebration.

Steak au Poivre
adapted from Ina Garten

2 filet mignon, about 1 1/4 inches thick
Kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup good Cognac or brandy*

Remove steaks from fridge for 30-45 minutes to allow them to come to room temperature.

Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, pressing on the coating to adhere.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes. Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Cook the steaks for 4 minutes on the first side, then flip over for 3 minutes, for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with foil.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pan. Add the shallots and cook until starting to brown. Raise heat to high and add broth; reduce by half, scraping up brown bits. Add brandy and carefully ignite (remove from burner if cooking with gas) to burn off the alcohol.

Remove from heat and add remaining butter, adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve the steaks hot with the shallots and sauce on top.

*I prefer brandy to Cognac in this recipe.

Matchstick Potatoes
adapted from Ina Garten

Peanut or canola oil
2 large oval Idaho potatoes, peeled
Sea salt or kosher salt
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour at least 1-inch of oil into a deep pot and heat it to 350 degrees F.

Slice the potatoes into thin matchsticks (1/8-inch thick) with a vegetable slicer or mandoline, dropping them into a bowl of cold water as you cut. Drain the potatoes and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Drop the potatoes in batches into the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pot with a wire basket skimmer or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the potatoes.

Sprinkle the potatoes with parsley, if desired, and serve hot.

Most people ring in the New Year with a fancy-pants dinner and dessert.

I am not most people.

Sure, I’ve cooked the fancier dinners in previous years, or baked the fancy dessert, but this year, that all changed. Remember the French onion soup bowls I posted about on Christmas? Well, I had a hankering to use those as soon as possible. And B received a couple packs of really good bacon for Christmas…we both love cheese…we both love onions…so why not try another bacon recipe from Everyday Food? The bacon jam I made him was a hit, and I’ve made French onion soup so many times now, using many different recipes, that I’m pretty sure I can now make it in my sleep.

I did try out a new dessert recipe, which I will post on Thursday, but that was a make-ahead dessert, leaving me with plenty of time to relax on New Year’s Eve.

Or so I thought.

There was a little incident in the kitchen that night. I cooked the bacon, and while I was removing the browned pieces to their respective bowls, my fond on the bottom of the pan was verging on burning. I asked B for a container to pour the bacon grease into, but neither of us thought through the container. He usually pours off the grease after it’s cooled, into a plastic container.

Can you guess where I’m going with this?

Moments after I poured the very hot grease into the plastic container, it melted in half.

Bacon grease everywhere! Unfortunately, he had the task of cleaning the mess up while I attended to the onions and fond; the bottom of the pan had a nice brown coating, and we didn’t want to lose it. Or have it burn.

The onions have so much moisture that they easily allow for scraping up the browned bits from the bacon, so long as you didn’t use a non-stick pot.

As far as an easy soup recipe goes, this one is pretty good. It’s simple, but because you’re serving the soup immediately, deeper flavors don’t really get a chance to develop. Of course, using homemade stock versus store-bought broth will add layers of flavor, not to mention some health benefits, but for a quick dinner (or starter) for a bacon and onion lover, look no further.

Bacon Onion Soup
adapted from Everyday Food, December 2010

Print Recipe

12 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large yellow onions, halved and sliced thin
32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 pound gruyere, shredded
extra virgin olive oil

Cook bacon in large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat until browned (or well-browned, if you’re me). Remove with slotted spoon and separate into 2 small bowls. Pour off all but a tablespoon of fat (reserve bacon grease for another use) and add the onions. Cook until deep brown in color, stirring occasionally and scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon, about 75 minutes. If onions are burning, turn heat down to medium.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and stir in half the reserved bacon.

Preheat broiler. Brush baguette slices with olive oil and place under the broiler until they crisp up.

Fill onion soup bowls with soup and top each with one or two baguette slices. Top with shredded gruyere and reserved bacon pieces. Broil until bubbly.

serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a starter

Happy New Year!

I thought it would be fun to say goodbye to 2010 by taking a look at the most popular posts of the year. Some of you have been readers longer than others, so for those of you who are newer, I hope you enjoy some of the older posts you may not be familiar with.

And to all of you, thank you for following along with my cooking/baking adventures. I hope there’s even more of them in 2011.

1. Key Lime Cupcakes

These cupcakes were by far the most popular post of the year, and I have to say, I think they’re worth it. If you’re looking for a fun new dessert to make, I hope you consider these.

2. Brown-Braised Onions

These onions were actually posted in the first half of 2009, yet they are still the second most popular post of 2010. Though they’re a little putzy to peel, the taste is last meal-worthy, they are that good.

3. Millionaire’s Shortbread

I’ve actually posted Millionaire’s Shortbread twice on this blog (the second time altering this recipe a bit), and both times the posts were a runaway hit. If you like Twix, you will adore this treat.

4. Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini muffins are among my favorite breakfast treat, and apparently, I am not alone. What can I say? Sometimes I’m a bit surprised by the recipes that turn out to be the most popular…then again, I’ve seen what happens to my mom’s garden when the zucchini take over, so perhaps the popularity of this post is not so surprising after all.

5. Sticky Buns

On the other hand, I can’t say I’m at all surprised that Sticky Buns are in the top five of the year. I mean really, who doesn’t just adore a cinnamon roll drenched in caramel?

6. Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

These little gems just barely missed the top five, but considering they’ve only been on the site for about half of a month, I’d say they’ve done pretty darn good for themselves. And you know what? They taste as good as they look – I can’t wait until next Christmas so I can have them again!

7. Small Batch Cupcakes

While not my favorite cupcake recipe ever (number 8 on this list fits that description), when you have a craving for a homemade cupcake, but no excuse to make them, this recipe comes to the rescue.

8. Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

By far my favorite recipe for vanilla cupcakes, they are light and fluffy, and packed with vanilla flavor. They are seriously, seriously good.

9. Easy Sugar Cookies

Though we left these sugar cookies out of the rotation this Christmas, they are perfect any time of year.

10. Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s not really a surprise that chocolate chip cookies are rounding out the top ten, even if it’s not my favorite recipe of all time. They are, however, quite good, and even great if you need a break from your favorite recipe, like I did.

I hope you have a safe & happy New Year’s!!!!

Sara

I love Anne Willan’s book The Country Cooking of France because besides traditional recipes, it’s rich in both explanations and history. For instance, Anne says, “Parisians have tried to hijack French onion soup, but Lyonnais cooks can plausibly claim title to this bistro classic.”

She goes on to say there are two keys to good French onion soup: using pungent yellow onions, and caramelize them to the point that they are almost burned, to achieve more depth of flavor; she added her own personal tip of charring an onion and adding that to contribute even more complex flavor.

Now, as I explained in the recipe below, I browned the onions but didn’t fully caramelize them. Perhaps I’ve had too many sweet Americanized onion soups (likely full of added sugar, because half the time those onions were still crunchy – the sweetness wasn’t coming from the onions, that’s for sure) that I just am not interested in an overly sweet soup. That being said, next time I will make the soup the proper way, as I only have one other container left in my freezer, and I adore French onion soup, so I plan to enjoy it many times this winter.

Gratinée Lyonnaise (French Onion Soup)
adapted from The Country Cooking of France

4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
1 yellow onion, halved but not peeled
1 teaspoon sugar
48 ounces beef stock or broth
Croutons made with leftover cheese fondue and half a baguette, sliced 1/2 inch thick
Butter

Melt butter in dutch oven/soup pot over low heat. Add sliced onions and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Press a piece of buttered foil down tightly on the onions. Cover the pot and sweat, stirring occasionally, 20-25 minutes or until soft. Remove the lid and foil, raise the heat to medium-high, and continue cooking until the onions are very dark brown and reduced, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. *The recipe said this would take another 8-10 minutes, but never in my life have I seen onions caramelize that quickly; I stopped after 45 minutes when my onions were light brown – it will likely take more time to get the deep brown color the recipe calls for.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the sugar on the onion halves and heat another burner to high. Place the onion halves directly on an electric burner (use a dry frying pan over a high gas flame if you don’t have electric coil burners). Cook until charred, about a minute or two.

Add stock/broth to the browned onions, add charred onion. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer to blend the flavors, about 15 minutes. Remove charred onion and discard. Adjust seasoning as needed.

The soup can be made ahead and refrigerated for 2-3 days. Reheat on stove top.

Preheat broiler.

Line baking sheet with foil. Butter one side of baguette slices, arrange evenly spaced on baking sheet. Place under broiler until golden brown. Flip slices over and top with leftover cheese. Return to broiler until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.

Either set 2-3 croutons in each bowl and top with soup, or ladle soup into bowls and add 2-3 croutons. Serve immediately.

Usually as we approach mid-November, I’m happily cooking and baking up a storm, relishing the bonus of a warm home. But this has not been a typical year. After a very hot, humid summer, we are still above normal, temperature-wise. As I type this, it’s 70 degrees! People have their heat turned off and their windows open. Everyone seems to have given up their coat for part of the week, enjoying this last(?) heat wave before the weather cools again.

It may feel like early fall, but it certainly doesn’t look it. The trees outside my home are barren, and seasonal local produce consists of cranberries, apples, pears, root vegetables, and winter squash.

With the upcoming cooler temperatures, I had to break out my French Country Cooking book. I want soups and warm vegetables, and hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals. After my squash soup debacle, I immediately zeroed in on a recipe for roasted squash with herbs. I do enjoy roasted winter squash, and my frozen herb stash was recently depleted by a batch of chicken stock. Plus, the squash made a simple lunch for me, with plenty of leftovers for dinner side dishes.

This recipe is a keeper. It’s simple, hands-off, and I love the savory-sweet combination.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Herbs
adapted from The Country Cooking of France

1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh rosemary
3 dried bay leaves

Preheat oven to 375*F.

Wash squash thoroughly. With a large chef’s knife, cut off the base and top of the squash. Cut the squash in half, just above the base. Now cut each half down the middle, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a large spoon and discard. Set each piece, flat-side down, on a cutting board, and cut into 3/8 inch slices (including the skin).

Melt butter and olive oil. Brush a very large rimmed baking sheet (or two medium baking sheets) with butter-oil mixture. Arrange squash on the sheet(s) so the pieces aren’t touching. Brush the squash with the butter-oil mix. Scatter the herbs among the squash, tucking some of them underneath the squash. Sprinkle the squash with sugar, season with salt and pepper.

Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil, brush squash again with butter. Roast for another 15 minutes, or until the squash is browned underneath. Flip over, brush with butter, and return to oven. Roast until tender and crispy around the edges (most of the pieces will have light browning).

Serve warm.

I have no idea what I was searching for when I found this recipe, but boy, I’m glad I did. I believe I was looking for a vegetable side dish to serve with tacos, and somehow I got to this.

Hey, it has vegetables in it, and the end product is green. That has to count for something, right?

Irregardless, this dish is delicious (I wanted to hoard the rice and ditch the rest of my dinner), easy to prepare, and if you time your cooking right, it doesn’t take a whole lot of extra effort to make.

You can also use this rice as part of a burrito (it’s wonderful with chicken and sautéed onions and peppers for a fajita burrito), or simply as a side for grilled chicken or fish. Or you can just inhale the entire bowl. Yes, it really is that good.

Green Poblano Rice
from Rick Bayless via Epicurious

2 poblanos, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
1 2/3 cups chicken stock
12 sprigs cilantro
1 cup basmati rice
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ white onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced

In a medium saucepan, bring chicken stock and poblanos to a boil over medium high heat. Partially cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Add cilantro and blend with an immersion blender (or use a regular blender or food processor). Pour mixture into a liquid measuring cup or bowl.

Wipe out pan and heat the oil. Add the onion and rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice grains resemble the color of white chalk. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the green sauce to the rice, stir and scrape down any grains of rice clinging to the side of the pan. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low for 15 minutes. Check the rice – it should have just a little bite left in the center. If it does, remove the rice from the heat and let stand 5-10 minutes. If the rice seems really underdone, cook for another 5 minutes, then let stand.

Fluff with a fork and serve, garnishing with cilantro if desired.