Commonplace

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Thank you all for graciously letting me complain about the situation in my living room. Sometimes it really does help just to get it out (and to have someone say "hell yeah, I'd be annoyed too, that sucks").

Moving on.

It was finally cold enough here today that soup for lunch was more than just a good idea — it was almost necessary. I find that the first few really chilly days, despite how good they feel, get in my bones in a deeper way than later in the season. It somehow seems harder to keep warm, like my body has to acclimate to the chill. Or maybe it's that I still refuse to wear socks. Either way, this soup was perfect for lunch and kept me warm through the rest of the afternoon and now we've got weekend lunches at the ready.

This recipe was given to me by my friend Natalie (who is not Hungarian to the best of my knowledge) many years ago. It couldn't be easier or more delicious. It even wins compliments from Jake (who rarely looks up from his PB&J long enough to notice other food groups).

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions
12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I mix baby bella with white button, but any old mushroom will do)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons tamari
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions until soft. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, tamari and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, melt remaining butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add milk and stir constantly until mixture is smooth and thick. Pour flour mixture into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, stir in the lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Season to taste. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve immediately.

Aside:
I thought for a while about what I wanted say about last night's vice presidential debate. I'm not at a loss for words. Actually, I have quite a lot to say about it. I think though that this post over at beauty that moves just about sums it up for me. So if you just can't get enough of this mess, click on over and have yourself a read.

7up Cake

No wait. Don't go. It's good. Really. Great, actually. My most requested cake in fact.

My friend Michele is from Texas and this is her grandmother's recipe. Maybe those of you in Texas know about this recipe—Michele says it was a staple in her house growing up. We love it around these parts but it's sometimes hard to find 7up, so it often becomes Sprite Cake. The soda is used both for flavor and in place of the baking soda for leavening.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of sweet unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon extract
¾ cup 7up
powdered sugar and lemon juice for glaze

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar until smooth
Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition
Add flour until just combined
Ad lemon extract and 7-up slowly
Pour into prepared bundt pan
bake at 325 degrees for  1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Glaze:
Combine 1/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar with 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and mix until smooth adding more sugar or lemon juice as needed to achieve desired consistency
Drizzle over cake after cake is completely cooled

I'd show you a photo but the cake never lasts long enough to take one.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Soup and Television.

Thanks to all of you who left supportive comments about my potentially giving up television. Here's the thing I neglected to mention: I love TV. I don't watch that much, but what I do watch, I love. It's only between the hours of 9:30 and 11 pm and I never watch commercials (thanks to my trusty DVR). I don't have many vices. I don't drink or smoke or buy handbags or shoes or expensive clothing (not that I could even if I wanted to). I don't even read trashy novels. But I love TV. A good sitcom can be the difference between going to bed completely wrecked from the day and falling asleep laughing. A serial drama captures my attention and takes me away from the stack of bills. Would I get more done with out it? Sure. Would I read more? Sleep more? Probably. Does any of that matter to me? I think you can probably guess the answer at this point.

In honor of autumn, I'm excited to be participating in the Soup Swap over at Turkey Cookies. Is there anything more quintessentially autumnal than slow cooked soups and stews? I think not. My recipe for this week is my mother's Bean and Barley Soup.

The ingredients: (I should warn you here that the amounts in this recipe are iffy. My mother never wrote this down and as I'm sure many of you do when making your family recipes 'wings it'.)

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill, 1/4 cup dried small lima beans, 1/4 cup dried pearled barley, 6 oz. bag of dried bean mixture (my mom uses Manischewitz — usually in the ethnic food aisle of the supermarket, I used a generic supermarket package that said '16-bean soup mix') 1 yellow onion roughly chopped, 2 peeled carrots sliced thickly, 1 leek (I throw it in halved and remove it after it gets gooey), 2 stalks celery thickly chopped, seasonings (I just use salt and pepper) and flanken

Flanken is just short ribs cut lengthwise. It is commonly used in slow-cooked meals, is usually boiled and for this recipe can easily be replaced with plain old short ribs. Here I have both. (The flanken is in the front.)

Also, I can not handle boiling meat. It grosses me out. I love this soup when my mother makes it but when I'm making it I must braise the meat first. I'm going to relay this recipe the way my mother told it to me.

Season the meat and place in a large dutch oven over high heat. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and skim off fat. Add all of the other ingredients except the parsley and add additional water to cover. Season again. Bring to a boil again and then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until desired consistency. Add parsley and serve. This soup is best served on day two or three.

Do you have favorite soup or other slow-cooked recipes that you make every autumn? Head over to Jessica's to swap them there!

Cool Weather Goodness

This is my favorite scarf.

I loved knitting it. I love the pattern. I love the yarn. I love the luxurious color and I love how it feels on my neck. I love the first day cool enough to wear it.

This is a new scarf.

I just finished it this week. It was a fun pattern and it's always satisfying to use scraps from my stash. I'm going to throw it in the rotation as the weather continues to turn and see if it earns a place of honor. Something about it isn't speaking to me though. We'll see.

In the spirit of the frost being on the proverbial pumpkin (do James Taylor lyrics count as proverbs?) and the wool scarves wrapping up our necks, I've also got soup simmering on the stove as I write this post. I'm getting a jump on Jessica's Soup Swap which is set to start on Monday. I'll be posting photos and the recipe then, but I'll give you some hints. It's my mother's recipe and it involves beans, barley and flanken. If you don't know what flanken is, then you probably didn't grow up in a Jewish household. You're in for a treat!

My question for today: If I were to give up television all together (in order to set an example for my boys), would that include Jon Stewart as well, or could an exception be made for his show?

Labor Day Recap (and a Fruit Crisp Recipe)

Thank you for all of your good wishes for Jackson. It's hard to watch him fail but it helps to remember the years of companionship and sloppy kisses he has given to us.

We spent this Labor Day weekend (as we usually do) at my parent's. Last year Quinn was four weeks old and we took him for his first swim.

This year he took his first steps.

The first photo was taken on his due date—five weeks after he was born. He weighed around six or seven pounds. The second was taken yesterday, and he weighs more like twenty seven pounds. It is an amazing thrill to see the year's progress side by side like this.

My mother and I spent this morning in her garden harvesting the end of summer bounty.

And then we spent the afternoon in the kitchen.

The carrots are going to be cupcakes. We had a heated debate about the difference between a cupcake and a muffin. If you have an opinion, please weigh in below. Finding the definitive answer could mean the return of family unity. My stand is that it's all about the frosting. My mother says it has something to do with fruit.

My mother's garden was abundant this year. Even more than usual.

She even grew this pineapple from the top of another one. It won first prize at the Bridegwater County Fair!

Niall says that pineapples growing in Connecticut are a sure sign of global warming. He may be right but I'm impressed nonetheless. 

For those of you who are interested, the crisp is peach-rhubarb. There's not much to it. I combined two cups of half-inch pieces of rhubarb with six or seven peaches cut into large chunks (skin left on) in a casserole dish. I sprinkled 1/4 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of sugar over the fruit along with a little lemon juice and some crystalized ginger. For the topping I combined 1 stick of cold butter with 1/4 cup of flour until the pieces were pea-sized. To that I added 1 cup of rolled oats and some cinnamon. It baked at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes and, of course, served it with vanilla ice cream.

I hope you all enjoyed your end-of-summer activities as much as we did here. I'm goint to try and take some of the mood with me as I jump into the whirlwind that is: September with kids.

I didn't forget the County Fair photos from Martha's Vineyard. Look for them this week!

Birthday Festivities

There were decorations

and fresh food.

Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad from Everyday Food.

There was family and friends (and some finished objects)

There were funny faces.

The cake was Lemon Buttermilk (recipe posted below) and Quinn found it to be a bit tart.

This mobile was Aunt Katha's clever contribution.

A good time was had by all.

Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake
(Adapted from Cooks Country)

Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk

Glaze
3 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons buttermilk

1. For the cake: preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

2. Combine buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla in small bowl.

3. Beat granulated sugar and lemon zest until moist. Transfer 1/4 cup sugar mixture to small bowl, cover, and set aside. Add butter to remaining sugar mixture and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs and yolk, just until incorporated. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately. Mix until smooth.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes.

5. For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and buttermilk until smooth. Gently spread glaze over warm cake and sprinkle evenly with reserved sugar mixture. Cool completely before serving.

Comfort Food

My mother is a competent chef but to say that she only cooks occasionally is an understatement. Some months after my younger brother (the last child at home) left for college, the local gas company sent a letter to my parents inquiring as to whether they were still alive. The company was concerned because of the length of time that had passed since the stove was last turned on. (True story.) Growing up on New York City's Upper East Side provided many options for take-out. Comfort food to me meant that the guys who took the orders on the phone at the local Chinese and Italian restaurants knew my voice.

When I went to college in a small town in Central Maine the food options were somewhat more limited. I moved off campus after Freshman year and wanted to cook the things I liked to eat. I would call my Mother for advice but found her repertoire of Jewish Holiday recipes to be more detailed and ornate than what I wanted for a quick weeknight supper. I had a boyfriend from a town nearby who's mother had cooked hearty wholesome dinners for eight children every night for decades. She was generous and patient with me and over time I learned how to cook dishes that were simple and delicious. They were usually made from local ingredients and whatever was on hand. Dishes often cooked in one pot and sometimes simmered all day. I learned that casserole wasn't a dirty word and breadcrumbs could come in very handy on occasion.

I like to think that since then my cooking style has evolved to incorporate my New York Jewish roots and my Mother's and Grandmother's recipes, along with the casseroles and stews of dear Mrs. Coleman. My idea of comfort food has thusly evolved as well. Today I'll take a good one-pot supper over some esoteric game bird any day.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Serves 10 for dinner or 14 for sandwiches

1 pork butt (which is the shoulder and usually weighs about 5 lbs. - it often comes with the bone in and that is just fine)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon  paprika
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup low sodium beef stock
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketsup

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sear and brown the pork on all sides and transfer to the slow cooker.

Using the same skillet, turn the heat down to medium and add the onion. Add the chili powder, paprika, pepper, and cumin and cook about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, Worchestershire sauce, salt, and beef stock. Bring to a boil and pour the skillet contents over the pork in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or as long as it takes for the pork to be fork tender.

Transfer the meat to a large bowl and let it cool slightly.

Use two forks (or your hands) to pull the pork apart.

Strain the cooking liquid and reduce it in a saucepan by about half, until it's slightly thickened. Add the pulled pork back in and add the vinegar and ketsup.

Serve on a hamburger bun or roll for sandwiches or all by itself for dinner.

Mmmm. Cookies.

These are Smitten Kitchen's, Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies. They are seriously delicious. The only tips I have after making them twice are as follows: don't make them as big as Deb says to (I tried, they were like frisbees), and watch them closely. There is a moment when they go from crispy, with the right touch of chewy, to just plain hard. If you get it right, however, you won't be sorry.

Any Fruit Muffins

I'm a morning person. I like to bake before everyone else gets up. I imagine that it must be pleasant for them to awaken to the smell of freshly-baked-something-or-other. Mostly what I make depends upon what's in the house. These muffins were worth recording for a do-over some other day. I used fresh strawberries (partially frozen so they wouldn't mush up in the batter) but I think it would have worked equally well with any fruit.

Here's what I did:

Mix

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

2 t baking powder

1/2 t cinnamon

pinch salt

Mix

1 1/3 cups light brown sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 cup sour cream (buttermilk or plain yogurt work nicely here as well)

2 t vanilla

Add the dry to the wet and scoop into a regular-sized muffin tin (12 muffins) with paper liners. I filled the cups all the way to the top. IMPORTANT: please grease the top of the pan.

Now mix the following until mixture resembles coarse crumbs

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 t cinnamon

1 T unsalted butter

1 T flour

Spoon the topping mixture onto the muffins and press down lightly so that it doesn't fall off on the way to the oven.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 and finish off for about 10 more minutes.

I hope you like them!