thanks for not being a zombie

Have a listen to Pete Green's lovely, melancholy Christmas song, "Everything's Dead Pretty When It Snows." You can download the mp3 from his website.

No snow here in New Town. The temperature is in the 50s by mid-day. I'm not feeling much of the holiday cheer this year. Christmas never lives up to the hype, and I cannot stand the commercial hijacking of our sentimental longing for togetherness and family. Store decorations appeared before Thanksgiving this year. Ugh.

I know, I know. Poor me. "I'm only happy when it rains." Et cetera, et cetera.

Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself, though, I'm going to make Dr. B's gingerbread cookies today. I'll also wrap some presents. Pix to come later.

Posted by at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Here's the recipe (via Epicurious):

For the filling:

1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
two 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package directions and drained

For dill crêpe batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill

For the sauce:

2/3 cup chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Make the filling:

In a saucepan cook the onion in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the flour, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the milk in a stream, whisking, and cook the mixture over moderate heat, whisking, until it is thick. Stir in the nutmeg, the dill, the spinach, and salt and pepper to taste and let the filling cool.

Make 12 crêpes (procedure follows) with the dill crêpe batter. Spread 2 tablespoons of the filling on each crêpe and roll the crêpe up jelly-roll fashion. Arrange the crêpes, seam sides down, in a buttered shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer. The crêpes may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Brush the crêpes lightly with melted butter and bake them in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 20 minutes.

Make the sauce:

In a small saucepan bring the broth to a boil. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and the lemon juice. Add half the broth to the egg mixture in a stream, whisking, and whisk the mixture into the remaining broth. Heat the sauce, stirring, until it reaches 170°F. on a candy thermometer and is thickened slightly, but do not let it boil, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the crêpes among plate and drizzle the sauce over them.

Make the dill crêpe batter:

In a blender or food processor blend the flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, the milk, the eggs, the butter, and the salt for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor, add the dill, and with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container. Blend the batter for 20 seconds more, transfer it to a bowl, and let it stand, covered and chilled, for 1 hour. The batter may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Makes enough batter for about 13 crêpes.

Make the crêpes:

Heat a crêpe pan or non-stick skillet measuring 6 to 7 inches across the bottom over moderate heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with the butter, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and remove it from the heat. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a layer of batter and return any excess batter to bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crêpe with a spatula, and cook the crêpe for 1 minute, or until the top appears almost dry. Turn the crêpe, cook the other side lightly, and transfer the crêpe to a plate. Make crêpe with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with butter as necessary. The crêpes may be made 3 days in advance, kept stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled.

Makes 12 filled crêpes, serving 4 to 6.

Posted by at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sure you've forgotten that Thanksgiving takes place this week. Have no fear. Check these out from two years ago. Still as delicious in 2005 as they were in 2003.

At first, I thought I'd just send this to the people who received grits. However, I've decided to post the information for everyone. Credit goes to L's sister for providing these.

In the interests of time, you may want to fake the shrimp stock.

In the interests of health, you may want to adjust some of the ingredients.

Continue reading "recipe, as promised" »

Posted by at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's snowing, and we're having chili for dinner.

Makes 4.5 cups; serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
one-quarter cup of chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
one-half teaspoon sugar
one-half teaspoon salt, or to taste
one-eighth teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
3 cups cooked kidney beans (cooked from dry; or canned, drained)

In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano until absorbed.

Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf, sugar, salt, and red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the beans; simmr, covered, 15 to 20 minues longer or until chili is slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaf.

Variation: Add 1 cup chopped green bell peppers when you add the onions.

From Carol Gelles' 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes. ISBN: 0-02-542965-5.

Posted by at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Check out last year's distributed Thanksgiving cookbook, brought to you via the magic of TrackBack. (And you might be interested in the recipes linked here, too.)

Posted by at 8:41 AM | Permalink

Here's another entry in an occasional series of distributed cookbooks. Now this is what I call comfort food! Simple and yummy:

Macaroni & Cheese

• One cup elbow macaroni.
• One cup shredded cheddar cheese.
• One cup milk.
• Butter, salt, pepper, paprika.

Directions: Boil the macaroni until tender. Butter a small baking dish. Make three layers of macaroni and cheese (noodles, then cheese, then noodles, then cheese, then noodles, then cheese). Salt and pepper at each layer, too. Paprika on top. Pour in the cup of milk. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.

What's your favorite comfort food? Post an entry to your blog and send a trackback my way.

Posted by at 6:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tonight I made this recipe, except I substituted regular broccoli for the Chinese broccoli and tofurky kielbasa for the Italian sausage. Yummy.

Posted by at 7:26 PM | Permalink

After the success of my entry on easy summer recipes (thanks to Google, it was my most visited entry throughout the summer), I thought I would try another recipe entry. Here in the U.S., next Thursday is Thanksgiving, and the following is my favorite holiday dish, believe it or not. Here's what I'd like you to do: post your own favorite recipe on your blog and TrackBack to this entry or post it here in the comments.

Carrots and Turnips

• 2 pounds carrots, chopped
• 1.5 pounds turnips, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter (or to taste)
• salt

Cook the carrots and turnips in salted boiling water until soft. Drain the vegetables and put them in a large bowl with the butter. Mash them as you would potatoes. Enjoy!

Continue reading "thanksgiving recipe" »

Posted by at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)