A Festive Fall Dessert

Here is an easy and delicious fruit crostata that is deceptively simple to make. (A lot of the work can be done in the food processor, believe it or not.)

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a potluck at a friend’s house, and though I am not a big fan of potlucks from a culinary standpoint (the dishes rarely complement one another, which is something I spend my work days trying to achieve), I agreed to go because I always enjoy spending time with my friends.

I decided to make this crostata–essentially a free-form pie, or a tart made without a pan–for dessert, in part because I had some apples at home that needed to be used and also because it is a lovely fall dessert that goes with almost everything. Continue reading

Get Ready for Thanksgiving Now

Thanksgiving is not until Thursday, I know, but I thought it might be helpful to share some tips now on getting ready for the big day.

Don’t let a still-frozen turkey ruin your meal
If you purchased a frozen turkey, now may be the time to take it out of the freezer and put in the refrigerator to thaw. You should allow 1-3 days to defrost a 4-12 pound bird, 3-4 days for a 12-16 pound bird, and 5-6 days for a 20-24 pound bird. Continue reading

Fall Feast: Pork Tenderloin

I like pork tenderloin, especially in the fall. It’s versatile, takes seasoning well, is easy to prepare, and is just a good comfort food.

When I decided to prepare my October “fall feast,” I had a tenderloin in the freezer, and I needed something to serve with the rice-stuffed squash and gingered green beans, so I decided to make this dish. Continue reading

Stuffed Pumpkin with Wild Rice

As promised, here is the recipe for stuffed roast squash.

Although it looks cute in this photo, I usually cut it into quarters and serve it as a side dish. You could also choose to make smaller slices. It’s especially good with poultry or pork. Continue reading

Wild Rice Pilaf

Last fall, I was in the car listening to The Splendid Table on NPR when they started discussing whole stuffed and roasted squash.  I was inspired, and later that week I started to play around with the idea.

Not long after that, I made some for a dinner party I was catering. For our “fall feast” last month, I did another adaptation. The first step is to make the filling—which is the recipe I’m posting today. Continue reading

End of the 2011 Rowing Season

This weekend marked the end of the 2011 rowing season—and after working all day Saturday catering an event for one of my favorite clients, I was up early on a very cold November Sunday morning to cox the Pocock Rowing Center men’s 8+ to our third-consecutive win in the masters men’s event. (That’s us above on the left, in green. We passed the boat on the right a couple of minutes later.) Continue reading

Simple Roast Chicken

I feel funny calling this a “recipe” because it is so simple. I often make this on a weekend when I’m spending the day outside gardening or working on indoor projects. It also makes great leftovers for the week ahead: I use it in sandwiches and wraps or on top of salads. Continue reading

Clean out the Fridge Soup

I was about to go pick up my Full Circle organic produce delivery the other day, but I still had some produce from the previous box that needed to be used. Also, my friend was coming over for dinner with her girls, so I needed to make something right away.

I looked in the fridge and saw the 2-pound bag of carrots and some fresh ginger root that needed to be used, and I knew right away what I was going to make. I call it “Clean out the Fridge Soup” for this blog post, but it is more accurately Carrot Ginger Soup. Continue reading

Halloween Treats

My mom found a rice-crispy pop at a store last year and gave it to me to replicate.  She, being a great cook and one who also likes to experiment with recipes, thought it looked simple enough to recreate.

They did turn out to be fairly easy. I started off making a basic batch of rice treats (here’s a link to the recipe for the Original Treats from Kellogg’s, to which I’ve made minor adjustments below), and waited for them to set. Once they were cool, I cut them into rectangles and started the fun part. Continue reading

Squash Season, Part II

I mentioned in a post last week that squash is one of my favorite fall foods, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m sharing another recipe that features butternut squash. This one can actually use any leftovers from the roast squash recipe that I posted last week. Continue reading