FoodFixe

Curried Pumpkin: Soup to Nuts

  It’s fall. It’s Halloween. It’s pumpkin season! My favorite time of year. And I’ve been on quite a pumpkin bender of late. A couple weeks ago I was determined to find a really good pumpkin soup recipe. I used to make one years ago that, although I loved the idea of pumpkin soup, I finally had to admit really wasn’t all that great.

I asked for recommendations from the foodie folks on Twitter and scoured the intertubes, and found what sounded like a winner—Curried Pumpkin Soup. I love the pumpkin curry at the Thai joint near work, so soup sounded like the next best thing.

Pork, Beans, and Avocado Daiquiris

For some reason, I’m having a hard time letting go of summer. Maybe because we didn’t get much of a summer this year in the Bay Area. At least it didn’t feel that way. So, in an effort to kick a little spice into what’s left of the season, I invited some friends over for dinner. My first real dinner since the “kitchenlift” and an excuse to make a couple dishes from my very long “recipes to try” list. Well, it’s not so much a list as a spreadsheet.

The food wasn’t fancy. It rarely is with me. But it was flavorful. I prefer to focus on what I’m good at, putting together a menu of complementary dishes. What I may lack in sheer cooking creativity, I make up for in planning and coordination. Or, as StrengthsFinder typed me, I’m a “maximizer.” I excel at making something that already exists into something better.

Scalloped Potatoes, Lemon Mousse, Spinach Ricotta Pie ... Oh, My!

It’s Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kick-off to summer. Well, according to the calendar, anyway; you certainly couldn’t tell by the weather here in NorCal. While there’s been nothing a barrage of summer- and grilling-inspired recipes buzzing coming across the channels—social and otherwise—I’m playing catch up from my last month’s worth of cooking, which includes Easter. (Yep, I’m a little behind. Hopefully I’ll get to summer fare before Labor Day!)

Here are three standouts from my recent kitchen escapades—two of which are certainly seasonally appropriate. The one exception, the Three-Cheese Scalloped Potatoes I made for Easter dinner, may not be typical warm weather fare. As far as scalloped potato dishes go, this one is on the lighter side, with not too much cream or cheese but lots of flavor. The recipe was inspired by one I had made at a cooking class several years ago at CasaLana in Calistoga, Calif. CasaLana is both a bed and breakfast and cooking school. It’s a great getaway if you want to both relax and learn something new.

Creamy Parmesan Polenta With Marinara

Every now and then I hit a rough patch in the kitchen—a week or more where nothing I make turns out quite right. I hit one of these rough patches a couple weeks ago. Although my cooking escapades may not have been full-on food fails (like the maraschino cherries), they were certainly unsatisfying in both effort and end results. For example, I accidentally picked up the wrong chicken broth, which rendered my risotto bland as all get out. And, when I cut into a butternut squash to make soup, I found it rotten on the inside. Unsatisfying, indeed. Sigh …

When this happens and I want to turn my kitchen karma around, I return to the tried and true—recipes that never let me down and dishes that succeed in filling me with yummy, comforting goodness. In other words, these are my feel-good foods. Not only do these dishes taste good, but they always turn out.

Krazy for Kale

For those of us who started the year trying to stay on the nutritional straight and narrow, the food universe doesn’t make it easy. In the span of six weeks, we’ve had to endure National Pie Day, National Chocolate Cake Day, National Carrot Cake Day, world Nutella Day and, of course, Valentine’s Day. Fortunately, I had recently joined a CSA—Farm Fresh To You —which at least ensured I had fresh fruit and veggies on hand as a way to counterbalance or bypass all together the sweet temptations.

Among my bounty of veggies was my first ever bunch of kale. I like greens of all kinds, but I’d never cooked with kale. When I mentioned my excitement about acquiring some kale on Facebook, I was astounded by the comments and conversation it inspired. People are crazy about kale! And, as coincidence would have it, at a team-building off-site for work that same week at Paulding & Co.,a delicious Butternut Squash and Kale and Chestnuts was among the dishes we were preparing.

Honey-Roasted Pork and Sweet Potato Puree

My sister Mikie was here a week or so ago, visiting her daughter Katherine and her family, including the newest grandson. I invited them over, hoping to give them a break from the dinner routine. I pulled out a couple of my favorite Bon Appetit recipes that I hadn’t made in quite awhile. Recipes that stood me in good stead when I cooked for the duck club several years ago.

Honestly, there are few things easier than throwing a roast in the oven when you have several people to feed. The Honey-Roasted Pork with Greens is not only easy but makes some of the best pan sauce I’ve ever tasted.

5 Favorite Fall Recipes

I love autumn. It’s my favorite season—from the warm days and cool nights and the changing colors of the trees to the food. It’s the time of year when I most enjoy cooking and being in my kitchen.

While baking a Pumpkin Hazelnut Cheesecake [http://www.foodfixe.com/foodfixe/pumpkin-hazelnut-cheesecake.html] recently, I was musing about all the dishes I look forward to making this time of year. Here are some of my go-to fall recipes.

The best birthday recipe: food and friends

A couple weeks ago I threw myself a small birthday party. Because food and friends are my two favorite things (not necessarily in that order), any chance to bring them together is always a special gift.

I wanted to keep things simple. After all, the birthday girl wants to have fun, too, and not spend the entire day and night in the kitchen. I pulled out some of my favorite recipes and created a menu for the party that included a couple heartier dishes that I then supplemented with nibbles and noshes. I chose sangria as the signature drink for the evening.  

Braised Wild Mushroom with Red Wine Risotto

I had a luxurious 10 days off during the holidays, which gave me lots of time to do two of my favorite things – get together with friends and family and cook, usually combining the two. One such occasion was getting together with my niece Katherine and her family for our traditional post-Christmas Christmas.

Having had our fill of abundant, heavy holiday fare, we decided to keep dinner on the simple side – risotto and a salad. I typically consider risotto more of a cold-weather dish, because it’s warm, hearty, and comforting. Of all the risottos I’ve made over the years, none are as wonderfully wintery as Braised Wild Mushrooms with Red Wine Risotto from Gordon Hamersley’s Bistro Cooking at Home.

Sugar Snap Pea and Mint Risotto

A couple weeks ago, I was craving something comforting for dinner. For me, that usually means a starch of some kind. Although risotto is more of a cold-weather indulgence, it’s exactly what I was in the mood for. I wanted a lighter, warm-weather-friendly version, though.

I thought something fresh and green would be cooling – both in appearance and taste. While perusing my green options in the produce aisle, I decided that sugar snap peas and mint sounded like the perfect combination. As risottos go, the resulting Sugar Snap Pea and Mint Risotto was indeed light enough for a simple summer meal.