Tidings of Comfort and Joy!

chocolate orange mousse

This was my first go on making mousse! It was pretty fun, folding in the whipped egg whites and whipped cream! Mac got a little excited and put more than a "dollop" of whipped cream on top. But hey, the boy likes whipped cream...it's irresistible. There's Grand Marnier and orange zest in the mousse to make it "orange."

saffron risotto with butternut squash

Get this one in your repertoire! It is so delicious and easy. You roast butternut squash in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper before putting it in the risotto. The saffron gives the rice the great yellow color. It's great leftover too!

creamy gorgonzola cream sauce

The star of Christmas Eve dinner was no doubt the awesome filet of beef we prepared according to Ina's directions - two different ways! We did some beef in the traditional preparation and served it with the creamy cheese sauce. Of course the beef was so good it didn't even really need the sauce, but since it's the holidays, anything goes!

balsamic roasted beef

Annie wanted to try this version of the filet from Ina's Parties! cookbook, and then we heard from Tricia it was amazing, so it was a done deal and a huge success at dinner. Thanks to Mac for cooking and slicing, and thanks to Mary for the photos!

carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

I love carrot cake, and it was one of the cupcake flavors we chose for our wedding. It was exciting to try Ina's recipe for this favorite. As expected, they did not disappoint! They were super cute in Annie's cupcake tree with fun ornaments from Williams-Sonoma's cupcake decorating kit.

recipes from this post:

carrot cake cupcakes

balsamic roasted beef

gorgonzola cream sauce

saffron risotto with butternut squash

chocolate orange mousse

Holidays are Here!

And that means we are taking advantage of the last few days where we can get away with saying, "It's the holidays, I do what I want!" when it comes to our attitude towards food. So that's why I'm trying to take full advantage of this time of allowed gluttony when it comes to the Ina recipes. Life is good!

*kitchen update: the stovetop has been replaced. we're back in action!

weeknight bolognese

That's right! Mac got me the new Barefoot Contessa Cookbook How Easy is That? for Christmas. We had to try this super easy and delicious bolognese. Make sure to use good red wine, it determines a lot of the flavor of the sauce!

jam thumbprint cookies

These delightful gems come from Family Style cookbook, and they're featured in the kids' section, because they are the kind of treat that everyone likes. They're made with a really simple shortbread dough, tasty jam of your choosing (Ina recommended raspberry and apricot, so that's what I went with), and sweetened coconut flakes. Classic.

easy lobster paella

I still wish I had one of those awesome copper paella pans, but this is so easy you don't need one of those to find success and tasty dinner. I went to Dirk's Fish to pick up some frozen, cooked lobster to use in keeping with the "easy" theme of the recipe. It was done in less than 45 minutes and good enough to serve to company for sure. Though admittedly, I've had much better paella in restaurants - this won't become one of those dishes you won't want to order out anymore because you like the way you make it better. But it's a good version to make at home.

baba au rhum

I went to New York in November with Mac and we went with some friends to Sarabeth's restaurant across the street from Central Park. Naturally, I bought her cookbook after perusing the perfect looking desserts and breads and jams. She had several recipes for cakes that required the use of the kugelhopf pan so I was pretty excited to have a reason to buy one for the blog and this rum cake. I don't know why, but I decided to substitute half-and-half for milk in the recipe and I think that may be why it didn't rise as much as it was supposed to and fill out the whole mold. Aside from that, the texture and flavor of the cake was right on. The rum syrup tasted a little too much like rum for me, but maybe I just don't like rum cake. The whipped cream in the middle definitely does cut the rum taste, making it really good, but I'm not dying to make this one again. (Except to correct my half-and-half error.)

recipes in this post:

weeknight bolognese - not available online. how easy is that? cookbook.

jam thumbprint cookies - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/jam-thumbprint-cookies-recipe/index.html

easy lobster paella - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-lobster-paella-recipe/index.html

baba au rhum - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/baba-au-rhum-recipe/index.html

Cold Weather Comforts

*kitchen crisis: there's a glass tray in the microwave that we accidentally dropped on our ceramic stovetop (never get one of those), and it is cracked and broken. we can't use it, and the replacement won't be here for at least two weeks! mac saved the day and bought a little electric two burner stovetop from target that we'll use...victory!

coconut macaroons

These could not be easier to make. 4 ingredients (coconut flakes, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and egg whites) are mixed together in a large bowl and then scooped out onto a sheet to bake. They're delicious!

chicken with morels

Morels are fancy mushrooms. I bought 1 oz of dried morels at Sur La Table for $20. Before using them in this recipe I soaked them in hot water for a half hour. They became plump when hydrated and quite delightfully fragrant! The sauce has a wonderful, complex flavor the comes from the Madeira wine, a fortified wine from Portugal. It creamy and comforting on a stormy night.

lasagna with turkey sausage

Well...I didn't use turkey sausage. We just picked up our new share from Cedar Valley Farms so I just used that pork sausage instead. I think what makes this lasagna especially good is the combination of cheeses. The ricotta is mixed with creamy goat cheese and parmesan and there are slices of fresh mozzarella in each layer. This is the kind of food that's better the next day, too. Yum.

recipes from this post:

coconut macaroons - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coconut-macaroons-recipe3/index.html

chicken with morels - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-with-morels-recipe/index.html

lasagna with turkey sausage - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/turkey-lasagna-recipe2/index.html

Two Soups

cheddar corn chowder

I made this when the first snow was falling in Chicago. It's made with potatoes, corn, bacon, and cream. It's classic comfort food and it's really easy to make.

lentil sausage soup

I have yet to post about recipes that I've made before. There are so many recipes, I've been focusing on new ones so that I can have them all done by July. However, this soup requires deviation from the norm. It is so awesome! The first time I made it was in college, and it's been a favorite ever since. It is healthy, hearty, and really tasty. This version includes kielbasa that's just warmed through in the soup, but it's delicious without the sausage too.

Recipes in this post:

lentil sausage soup - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/lentil-sausage-soup-recipe/index.html

cheddar corn chowder - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cheddar-corn-chowder-recipe/index.html