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Pumpkin Season
October has been heavy with heat and rain. I have wondered if it will ever burst forth more goldenrod and cinnamon than gray. Sometimes it seems too weak to break away from summer’s tight grip, at other times too sluggish to progress toward winter. So many of us crave sun-ripened berries. Saltwater is enough to justify a getaway. It’s so easy that there isn’t even a dance. Summer months show up, and we find ourselves dizzied by its offerings. As for October, he has a bit of a challenge. You can’t sink your teeth into acorn squash like you do with a ripe tomato. Sure, we can still find ripe…
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Chocolate Orange Mini Cheesecakes
With the holidays approaching, I start craving a touch of decadence with dessert. Candied citrus is where I turn for that luxe, almost stained glass finish on these mini cheesecakes. In a mixture of sugar and water, whole citrus slices become juicy, chewy candy that intensifies the flavor in each creamy, chocolate and orange bite. Ingredients Candied Orange Slices 1 unwaxed orange2 cups water1 cup sugar Mini Cheesecakes ⅔ cup fresh orange juice30 chocolate wafer cookies4 tablespoons unsalted butter8 oz. cream cheese (1 standard package)½ cup sour cream⅓ cup sugar2 eggs, slightly beaten½ teaspoon vanilla extractPinch salt12 cupcake liners Watching the orange slices transform is the most satisfying part of…
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Mexican Chorizo
“Your glance scattered seeds. It planted a tree. I talk because you shake its leaves.” Excerpt from “Letter of Testimony” by Octavio Paz Mexican food and culture are irresistible to me – the warmth, the spices, the influence of the ancient. You may have even read some of my recipes for dishes such as mole roasted sweet potatoes and street corn with chile butter. With Día de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday, coming up just after Halloween, here is a main dish to add to your celebration. Unlike its Spanish counterpart, Mexican chorizo is made from fresh pork. Where you may have noticed the hard, dried…
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Crispy Herbed Baby Potatoes
The golden crust on a roasted potato is the signal that dinner is ready. Chicken can rest for a moment, but when the potatoes are done, it’s time to eat. Crispy on the outside with a piping hot, soft interior, a potato wedge is an ideal mid-week comfort food. While it may seem like a rather humble marriage, the union of heat, fat, and starch elevates a random Wednesday, or a stressful week, like few foods can. It seems simple enough to cut up some potatoes, toss them with a little oil, and pop them in the oven, but this often doesn’t result in the crispy roasted potatoes we want.…
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Hands
“…they kneaded and twisted and unknowingly squeezed youth back up through their veins…” – From “Making Taralli” – a poem of mine originally pushed in Ginosko Literary Journal The women in my family have beautiful hands. Of all their pleasing qualities, this is the one that fascinated me as a child. Well-formed and graceful, not to be confused with delicate, they are the type of hands that served, cooked, and too often were wrung together over loss. As they worked with dough or arranged chicken in a stock pot, their plump skin defined my notions of age in such a way that I found it difficult even to remember the…
