Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Sicilian Orange Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze

December 24, 2020 by Mary 4 Comments

I had a little trouble getting this cake out of the pan…

This Italian cake is not too sweet but super moist so you can make this a day ahead and eat it for several days without losing anything. Because of this, I thought this Sicilian Orange Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze is a great cake to have around during the holidays. It is terrific for dessert as well as for breakfast with a cup a coffee. (a true Italian-style breakfast) You probably already have all the ingredients on hand so give this a go! Santa will most likely enjoy it too.

Always good to share…

I brought this cake to a dinner at my good friends’ Margaret and Wayne’s house last week. They are in my “pod” so all is good and safe. We each had two pieces that night and then I left them with a very large piece. Margaret texted me that she was having a 1″ piece every day. I think she’s had her last piece today and enjoyed it so much.

This cake recipe was originally in Food and Wine magazine, but of course I changed it and added the dark chocolate glaze. I LOVE orange and chocolate!

Make it with LOVE. And have a very Happy and Merry Christmas!

SICILIAN ORANGE CAKE with DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE – serves 10

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice (from 3 oranges)
1 1/2 Tbs. baking powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup Canola oil
3 large or 4 small eggs
Butter for greasing the pan
4 oz. 70% dark Ghirardelli Chocolate
½ tsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. Canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, orange zest, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs with an electric mixer on high speed until almost white, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add orange juice; beat on low speed until combined, about 20 seconds. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour mixture. Beat until just combined, about 1 minute (do not overmix).

Transfer batter to a greased (with butter or Crisco) and floured 9-inch tube or Bundt pan. Bake in a preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack; let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Turn cake right side up on a plate. Melt the chocolate with the butter and oil in a microwave, 1 minute at a time on 50% power, stirring after each heating, to further melt the chocolate. This should take 2 – 3 minutes. Do not overheat as that will burn the chocolate.

Drizzle the glaze all over the top and let it drip down the sides. Enjoy!!

Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce

December 16, 2020 by Mary 2 Comments

My lead construction guy told me, with a wry smile, that this would be my “last supper” in my kitchen. You see, I am completely renovating my kitchen in the city apartment and this recipe that I threw together of Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce was scrumptious and special and my last meal from my old kitchen. It was fun to make up, with just the things I had around and so very delicious to boot! It comes together so quickly. I know you will love the sweet, savory, spicy and umami flavors all melded as one.

Quite frankly, I really hate cooking for one. I do not like being alone but what am I to do? I still love cooking and eating, and really, they become the highlights of my day, along with a little wine (maybe sometimes too much but who cares) and that is what I look forward to every day. Additionally, my late husband Steve, never really liked fruit with meat. And I have been on this sweet and savory combo kick, which I can now explore to my heart’s desire.

My mission is to combine new, unusual flavors. I’m tired of the typical mingling of ingredients. I want to break through and create something fresh and exciting! So I really had a go of it with this Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce recipe. But you know what, I think Steve would have liked this too!

NOW THE BACKSTORY ON MY KITCHEN…

All of my appliances were breaking and my cabinets were builder’s grade (equals really shitty quality) from when we bought this condo 13 years ago and I just couldn’t bear putting new appliances in between chipped cabinets, so I decided on a complete renovation. I started musing with this idea in the summer of 2019, after happening upon a new Italian kitchen store in my neighborhood. I fell in love with these cabinets that looked like concrete and started working on the design, getting construction and appliance estimates and moving forward. I actually would have loved to do slick, shiny bright red cabinets but I knew that those really wouldn’t go with the rest of the apartment.

Because my kitchen is wide open to the dining room and the living room which are filled with an eclectic mix of French, English and American antiques along with some traditional and modern items, I needed to make the kitchen work with all of these, yet still do something smashing. Otherwise, why was I doing it, was my thinking.

Then I remembered, my very first designer/employee at my brand design agency many, many years ago was Jeanne, and she had left the communication design field to become a kitchen designer. I should contact her!

So I rang her up and she changed everything – all for the best! She gently guided me off of the concrete and into doing real wood – gorgeous walnut, flat modern panels with some beautiful Italian polished nickel handles and a concrete looking floor. We picked a stunning piece of granite for the counter with taupe, black and some beautiful blue in it. White quartz for the windowsill and some amazing appliances including my favorite – a slim wine refrigerator that is six inches wide and holds seven bottles!

SUPER MESSY IN AN APARTMENT

My renovation is in full swing now and my cabinets arrived yesterday along with Jeanne, to open and check some of them. The old kitchen is completely out and donated to Angie’s House on Long Island. They help medically frail children have the best quality of life possible. I was so happy to find them as I definitely did not want to contribute any more to landfills. It is very trying managing the space in an apartment during a complete redo – nothing like in a house.

So I cooked up a storm my last three days in my old kitchen and this recipe of Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce was clearly my favorite. A “last supper” to remember.

I trust you will LOVE this as much as I did. This is a festive dish and easy to do during the busy holiday season. Be sure to make with LOVE. Here is the recipe:

Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce – serves 2

2 pork chops
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small red onion, quartered and sliced in ¼” slices
4 anchovies
5 chunks of Stem Ginger in syrup, chopped (comes in a small glass jar)
3 Tbs. syrup from the Stem Ginger
1 cup fresh blackberries
Fine Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Chinese Five Spice
Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

The process

Take the pork chops out of the fridge for 30 – 60 minutes before cooking. Pat dry and season each side with salt, pepper and a liberal amount of Chinese Five Spice.

Warm the olive oil over medium-low heat and add the onion and anchovies. Saute for 5 -7 stirring frequently.

Pork Chops With Ginger Blackberry Sauce, Seasoned and Cooking in a pan.

Push the onion mixture to the sides of the pan, raise the heat to medium, medium-high and add the chops in the center, making sure the meat is hitting the pan, not on top of the onions and add the blackberries, ginger and ginger syrup. Toss the onion/blackberry mixture on the sides while the chops are browning for 4 – 5 minutes.

Pork Chops With Ginger Blackberry Sauce, Cooking in a pan.

Turn the chops and saute for another 4 – 5 minutes, until the pork is done by pressing the meat with your thumb. It should feel sturdy but not super hard, or be at 140 degrees with an instant read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chop. The temperature will increase while the meat is resting.

Remove the chops to a warm platter or board. Continue cooking the blackberry sauce for 5 more minutes, stirring until the berries break down, getting juicy and add in the collected meat juices at the end.

Pour the sauce in a line down the middle of the chops and serve, garnished with mint leaves if desired.

Thanksgiving 2020

November 16, 2020 by Mary 4 Comments

Thanksgiving is around the corner and what are we to do with the pandemic and the growing rise of Coronavirus cases? We’re not supposed to get together with anyone outside of our “pod”. I get that. But. It. Is. So. Hard.

I really get it. As I have been alone for the majority of this time and missing my late husband Steve so very very much.

Perhaps your “pod” is larger than most, due to the sheer size of your family? I know that is true with my brother in St. Louis. He has seven children, all married and 15 grandchildren. They are all very careful. And they see each other now. They did not, back in March, April and May.

One of my other brothers, Steve, and his wife Trish, came to live with me for a couple of weeks. They had no place to go! And of course, I was delighted. They had sold one house and their new condo isn’t yet finished being built. They were living in their other house in Vermont but if they passed the 6 month mark there, they would have had to pay a full year of income taxes in Vermont and Connecticut! (Bet Trump never had to do that.)

So they came to me in upstate NY and honestly, we all had a blast. You see, we used to travel together a lot in our younger days, pre-children. And of course, I sort of grew up with him – we are 8 years apart and he is older – but we certainly grew up in the same household. So we do things the same way in terms of kitchen stuff and cleaning up. At one point, when I woke up in the morning, I honestly thought I was at my parent’s house and all was calm and stuff was happening as they had been up, comfortably getting their own breakfasts, the wafting smell of fresh delicious coffee was coming upstairs. I was all smiles. All good. In this household.

Two All-Clad pots in the sunlight. — Here are two of my gorgeous new pots!

So exciting to have new pots!

As a thank you and early birthday present, (my birthday is on Thanksgiving Day this year), my brother and sister-in-law sent me three All-Clad pots, all stainless steel, inside and out, almost too pretty to use. It’s so exciting to get new pots and these are gorgeous!!

Secrets for a Great Thanksgiving You Will LOVE cookbook. — My Thanksgiving Cookbook!

A cookbook with recipes and a process timeline!

Because it is Thanksgiving soon, I wanted to remind everyone about my handy cookbook of all of my big feast recipes along with a hassle-free planning schedule to get everything done with ease and put a magnificent meal on the table, stress free.

You can get it on Amazon here – and I am donating all of the proceeds of the sales to Meals on Wheels to feed the less fortunate.

So pick up a copy and enjoy. I have a whole slew of folks who make my stuffing recipe every year. Yes, it is that good.

Additionally, l know my Momofuku’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette recipe in the cookbook menu is a little unique and not for the faint of heart, bursting with umami. This year I am switching up that side recipe to be Green Beans with a Warm Raisin Caper dressing. Still unique, but a little tamer.

It’s a Martha Stewart recipe and usually I am not a big fan of hers but this sounds good and I think, will be a nice contrast to the richness of the rest of the meal.

So pick up a book and give it a go. And please leave a review to help others find it easily.

And remember to make everything with LOVE. Enjoy!

Have the BEST Thanksgiving ever!! It is sure to be memorable in this climate.

Braised Short Ribs – savory and a little sweet!

November 6, 2020 by Mary 7 Comments

I love this time of year – the beautiful fall colors, the weather getting crisper and cooler, sweater-time, bundling up in front of a fire time. And with Braised Short Ribs simmering in the oven, there is no better time, right? Short Ribs have always been a favorite of mine but for my late husband Steve, not so much. He never liked the soft gristle that comes with them. Perhaps too jelly-like and sometimes a lot of work to separate them from the meat. So therefore, I didn’t make them often and never had a chance to perfect my recipe…

A wonderful time of the year…

But my oldest son and I love them! So last Saturday, on a beautiful, weather-perfect day, after apple picking with his wife and my grandson and six of their friends, full of hot apple cider, sugar doughnuts, streusel sticks and of course, apples, we came home and I whipped up this recipe, which I think is my damn near-perfect recipe of Braised Short Ribs – savory and a little sweet!

Because this week has been such a tortuous one with the election results still unresolved at this moment, I thought you all might enjoy and need a little comfort food. These Braised Short Ribs fit the bill exactly!

I do hope you’ll try this and let me know what you think.

Only the best ingredients

Braised Short Ribs ingredients on a wooden cutting board.

Remember, it is all about the ingredients and it is best to use local grass-fed beef and organic vegetables, along with a decent quality dry red wine. My brother, Steve, who is a sommelier and has a wine and food pairing blog you should visit, says to never cook with something that you wouldn’t drink. Remember that, as I have found it to be a great piece of advice. It also means you can drink a little good wine while you cook!

So in this recipe, I used a good quality Cabernet Sauvignon. The same theory goes for the broth or beef stock. Homemade is the best, then move on to store bought, only organic, with real ingredients.

Make ahead!

Ideally, make this the day before you want to serve it for two good reasons: one, it is so much easier to get rid of all the fat as it will collagulate on top and two, the flavors will intensify and develop into total indescribable yumminess.

Braised Short Ribs – serves 4 – 6

5 lbs. beef short ribs, bone on
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (I like a coarse grind)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped or 2 small
2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 large whole garlic cloves, lightly crushed
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. Confit de Figues – a French fig jam usually served with cheeses
Juice from ½ lemon
2 fresh (or dried) bay leaves
3/4 cup Madeira
11/2 cup dry red wine
1 – 2 cups beef broth
Chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the short ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat with the oil. Add the short ribs (add them in batches, if necessary) and brown on all sides. Transfer the ribs to a plate as they finish browning. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the vegetables are soft and all the browned bits in the base of the pot have been loosened. Put the short ribs (and any juices that have collected on the plate) back in the pot.

Braised Short Ribs, browned, in a Le Creuset pot.

Add the light brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Confit de Figues, lemon juice and bay leaves. Pour in the Madeira and red wine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the ribs. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven.

Braise the short ribs until they are very tender when pierced with a fork, about 3 hours (longer if the short ribs are big). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shortribs to a plate. Let the cooking liquid settle; spoon off as much fat as possible (ideally, you’d do this over the course of two days and would, at this point, put the liquid in the fridge overnight and peel off the layer of fat in the morning).

Set the pot on the stove over medium high heat. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and reduce to a syrupy consistency.

Lay a short rib or two in each of 4 wide shallow bowls. Spoon over a little sauce and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with boiled potatoes dressed with parsley butter and LOVE.

ENJOY!!

Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce

October 17, 2020 by Mary 5 Comments

I have been wanting to post this recipe for quite some time. Probably before I even had this blog – ha! Truly. I remember making this Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe the very first time while staying at the house of my piano teacher/surrogate mother – Harriet – in Dorset, Vermont. The dish is very easy to make, comes together quickly, is different and super delicious. Remembering eating it in her total beeswax candle-lit dining room, smelling so lovely, snuggled in after a full day of skiing at Bromley was pure bliss. The kids were young and fun and skiing is always a great family time.

Bromley or Stratton

Harriet’s house was pretty equidistant from Stratton (super yuppy) and Bromley (more low key). We preferred Bromley.

I remember Stratton having young parents allow their kids to lie flat out – angel style – on the ground in line to the main lift at the base of the mountain, and I guess they were thinking that that was cute.

How rude can one possibly get? I really wanted to kick these kids. Of course I didn’t but I’m sure I said some things. I mean, really??

Because of Covid-19 now, will we really ever be able to ski again? Skiing is an outdoor sport, but then you sit so close to one another on the lifts. And what about eating in the lodge? I will miss the chili with cheese, chopped onions and sour cream – the works! It is only during skiing that I never feel guilty about eating that chili.

It is a whole new world for us. I suppose we will find out soon.

Anyway, back to more pleasant things like food. Coming “home” to Harriet’s house that always smelled like beeswax with its beautiful dark shiny floors throughout, was a little bit of heaven. Having a fire in the fireplace, playing games in front and then serving up this dish in the candlelit dining room was delightful. A clean, healthy and different dish with the spark of ginger and soy – really yummy.

This Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce dish is not really your typical winter dish. It is not heavy or stew-like at all but just super appealing. So try it soon, now in the fall and you will LOVE it. I guarantee!

Ingredients for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce. — Getting the ingredients ready.

The sauce for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe. — Making the sauce.

Salmon cooking for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe. — Cooking the salmon and garlic.

Cucumbers for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce. — The cucumbers!

SALMON RICE BOWL with GINGER-LIME SAUCE – serves 4

1 3/4 cups water, divided
1 1/4 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained twice
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons sugar
1 Thai red chile, chopped
10 small garlic cloves, 2 chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 kirby cucumbers (10 ounces), cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Four 6-ounce salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of the water and the rice to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mortar, pound the ginger with the sugar, chile and 2 cloves of the chopped garlic to a coarse paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of water, the lime juice and the fish sauce. Add the cucumbers.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the skillet skin side down and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the whole garlic cloves. Turn the salmon and cook over moderate heat, about 3 – 4 minutes.

Mound the rice in bowls. Top with the salmon, garlic cloves and ginger-lime sauce with cucumber strips and your LOVE. Pass any extra sauce at the table.

Enjoy!!

Half-eaten Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce with a side of broccoli. — Total DELISH!!

Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage

September 3, 2020 by Mary 8 Comments

How many of you adore eating fish but are longing for ways that are quick and easy and would love to add a new zing to just a regular old piece of grilled fish with EVOO, salt and pepper? And how many of you have a refrigerator full of various condiments that take up too much room? I know. So this simple recipe of Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage delivers on taste and ease all in one!

You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Although this is very tasty with a savory sweet hot vibe, I say you should try to use up something you already have that has the same vibe. Wouldn’t that be even better?

Of course you could also dress up a piece of fish with my versatile Green Sauce, but that takes more work than I was willing to do last night. ( I can be so lazy…)

Think of flavors you LOVE…

Since it is only me eating now, I am trying all kinds of flavor combinations and I have been fascinated by mixing up sweet summer fruits with meats and fish. I mean, why not? I want to eat something new, surprising and different. After all, being totally alone in this Covid time, cooking and eating (and drinking wine) are the highlights of my day, so I love experimenting.

And I have made a commitment to myself to clean out the fridge of all of these jars! You see, my kids stayed in my apartment in the city for nearly seven weeks and cleaned out that fridge of outdated things and used the others, so now I want to do that here, upstate.

I have tons of jam that I never use on toast. I want to attack those – maybe on grilled pork chops soon…

Get creative!

I hope this post will spur some creativity on your part. Go ahead and try an unusual combination. Have fun! Experiment and enjoy. But remember to always make it with LOVE.

GRILLED FLOUNDER WITH SWEET TOMATO AND CHILI CHUTNEY, ROSEMARY AND SAGE – serves 2

1 lb. fillet of flounder
Extra virgin olive oil
½ TBS. The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 sprig of fresh sage
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your grill or oven to 425 F degrees. Use a grilling vegetable pan for the grill.

Thoroughly wash and pat dry the fish. Coat both sides with a thin film of olive oil. Salt and pepper on one side only. Then spread on the Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Top with chopped rosemary and lay the sage sprig on top.

Spray the grill pan with high heat grilling spray or if using the oven, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Grill or roast for about 5 minutes.

Use 2 spatulas to remove the fish to a platter. Cut in half and serve.

Enjoy!