All: Oh, the Lord is good to me
All: And so I thank the Lord
All: For giving me the things I need
All: The sun, the rain, and the…
Aspen (then almost 4 years old): Say ‘apple’, Oakley
Oakley (then almost 2 years old): Apple!
Aspen: Say ‘seed’, Oakley
Oakley: Seed!
Aspen: The Lord is good to me.
Oakley: Amen

Then one night in October of that year, it took a slightly different turn…

All: Oh, the Lord is good to me
All: And so I thank the Lord
All: For giving me the things I need
All: The sun, the rain, and the…
Tim: Say ‘appleseed’, Oakley
Oakley: Apple!
Tim: Say ‘appleseed’, Oakley
Oakley: Apple!
Tim: Say ‘appleseed’, Oakley
Oakley: Apple…seed!
All: Yay, Oakley!!!!

And yay for these apple-cinnamon doughnuts!

Apple-Cinnamon Doughnuts

adapted from Michael Ruhlman’s Twenty

makes about 40 small doughnuts

Don’t know yet what to make for Thanksgiving dessert – other than pumpkin pie, that is? Here’s your answer: cinnamon apple doughnuts. Your family will be thankful. They’re not a bad way to start the day either.

These are not yeasted doughnuts. Rather, they’re made from pate a choux, the versatile pastry dough that can baked, boiled, or fried. Baking brings about gougeres (cheese puffs), eclairs (cream puffs), and profiteroles (puffs with ice cream and chocolate sauce). Boiling results in gnocchi. And frying gives you these babies.

Pate a Choux

• 8 tablespoons (110 grams) butter
• 1 cup (236 grams) water
• 1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 4 large eggs

Apple Filling

• 3-4 tart apples such as Granny Smith, Winesap, or Arkansas Black (3 cups/360 grams peeled, diced apples)
• 1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of salt

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

• 3 cups (600 grams) sugar
• 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• oil for deep-frying, such as canola or peanut oil

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring butter and water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add flour and salt. Stir until flour absorbs water, becomes a paste, and pulls away from sides of pan. Cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stirring rapidly, add eggs one at a time, and stir until completely incorporated. Let cool.

While dough is cooling, combine sugar and cinnamon in bowl and set aside. (Yes, this will probably make too much. Having a generous amount helps coat the hot doughnuts quickly and evenly. Keep any extra until next time or use it to make cinnamon toast the next morning. Or just reduce the amounts of cinnamon and sugar.)

Peel and dice apples. Add lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Then add spiced apples to dough and mix well. Heat oil to 350°F. Scoop out apple dough with small disher (size 40) or just use 2 spoons. Drop dough balls into hot oil. (Alternatively, use pastry bag or Ziploc bag with corner snipped off and pipe out 2½ inch sections of dough into hot oil.)

Cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Check if center is set and warm by cutting open a doughnut. (Eat it as your reward.) Remove doughnuts from oil and place on wire rack lined with paper towels and set above sheet pan (or use bowl lined with paper towels). Blot doughnuts and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Serve immediately or keep warm in 250°F oven (use convection if you’ve got it) for about 20 minutes.

Note: Strain and reuse oil one more time.

There has never been a day when I have not been proud of you, I said to my daughter, though some days I’m louder about other stuff so it’s easy to miss that. – Brian Andreas from Storypeople

A recent conversation, just the two of us in the car on the way to soccer practice:

“Mama, I’m not popular,” my 10-year-old announces to me quite matter of fact.

Although she said this without so much as a trace of sadness or wistfulness, my heart breaks for her. “Of course, you’re popular. Everybody likes you and says how nice you are. You have so many different friends – even your teachers comment on it.”

“Yeah. But I’m not one of the popular girls.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t make fun of C. and treat her mean and laugh at her, so I’m not popular.”

And later, listening to P!nk’s “Raise Your Glass” on the radio (obviously we weren’t listening to the family friendly station):

“Mama, I really like this song, especially the part where she sings ‘Oh hot lamb’”

“Me, too” I said, suppressing a laugh, and letting her be a little girl for a little longer.

Homemade chocolate wafers for ice cream sandwiches. Always requested for her birthday. “Hot lamb!” they’re good. And they’re popular, but in a good way. Just like my daughter.

Chocolate Wafers (Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies)

Slightly adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

Makes about 90 thin wafers, for 45 small ice cream sandwiches

Nabisco’s famous chocolate wafers, move over – there’s a new chocolate wafer in town! Somehow, due to Medrich’s magic, these remain tender when frozen and don’t turn teeth-shatteringly hard – unlike drop cookies. They also stay crisp and don’t get soggy – unlike the store bought rectangular ones. In short, they’re chocolate wafer perfection.

• 1½ cups (6.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup (2.4 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder (I prefer Dutched cocoa, Medrich likes natural)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks or 7 ounces) unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into 12 chunks
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a food processor, combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Add the chunks of butter. Pulse several times. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade. Remove the dough from the food processor and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1¾ inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.  Or if you’re in a hurry, pop it into the freezer for about 20 minutes instead.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper on Silpats. Using a very sharp knife (I use a paring knife), slice the dough as thinly as possible. Place them 1 inch apart on the lined sheets because the cookies will spread. (A tip to avoid crumbling mess: As you’re slicing the log, put your fingers on the slice to catch it so that it doesn’t break.) Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 8 minutes. Of course, if your cookies are thicker, they will take longer to bake. (Medrich cuts hers a scant ¼-inch thick – resulting in 50 to 60 total wafers – and bakes them 12 to 15 minutes.) As a guide to baking time, the cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1½ minutes after they deflate.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. The cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.

Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don’t, you’re not baking them long enough, says Medrich — in which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.

To complete the ice cream sandwiches, flash freeze the cooled cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes. Then fill with ice cream by taking out a few cookies at a time and working quickly. I find it’s easiest to use a small ice cream scoop to portion the ice cream onto a bottom cookie, face side down, and then gently smoosh the ice cream down before adding the top cookie, face side up. Eat immediately or store in the freezer.

Since this makes so many, I usually fill a few at a time (to pace our eating!) and simply freeze the remaining cookies until a craving for ice cream sandwiches hits again. As far as ice cream flavors, we’re partial to this vanilla ice cream and raspberry sorbet from The Perfect Scoop.

Variations:

• Enjoy the wafers plain, with coffee, in an icebox  cake, or use for a chocolate crust for a cheesecake or pie
• Add ¼ cup cacao nibs or a dash of peppermint extract

As I explained to Little Miss Lou, here’s where X’s theory breaks down: not all cheese is yellow. What color is feta? White. Goat cheese? White. Mozzarella? White. Queso blanco? Blanco. White cheddar? Um, white – just like the milk from which they’re made.  Why?  Because no annatto has been added. So, just to be clear (and so she could correct X when she brought more cheese bread for lunch the next day), this definitely is cheese bread. It’s simply made with annatto-free cheeses, in this case, gruyere and parmesan.

If you, like X,  want to see and not just taste the cheese in this bread, feel free to substitute yellow cheddar or another of your favorite cheeses. Don’t worry – it’ll still be good. Real good. In fact, Tim proclaimed it the best bread I’ve ever made. Not surprising since it combines two of our favorite things – cheese and bread – along with a dash of hot sauce for kicks.

Go ahead. Bake 4 loaves in 2 days like I did. Try it toasted with butter or use it to make a mean grilled cheese.  Just don’t be mean and say it’s not cheese bread.

Cheese Bread

adapted from Beard on Bread

I prefer bread flour instead of the all-purpose Beard called for, although I tried both and either works just fine. I added weights because I much prefer my kitchen scale to my measuring cups. Rather than waiting to incorporate the cheeses after the first rise, as in the original recipe, I recommend adding them in the beginning. Oh, and I used my mixer to knead because I’m lazy but feel free to do it by hand.

• 1 package (2¼ teaspoons or ¼ ounce) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1¾ cup warm water (100-115°F), divided
• 5-6 cups (25-30 ounces) bread flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¼ cup (2 ounces) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ¼ cup (1 ounce) Parmesan, freshly grated
• ¾ cup (3 ounces) Gruyere or Emmenthaler, freshly grated

Dissolve yeast in sugar in ¼ cup warm water and allow to proof (become foamy to show that the yeast is indeed active). In a large bowl, mix 5 cups of flour with the salt. Make a well in the center and add the remaining 1½ cups water, butter, hot sauce, yeast mixture, and cheeses. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Knead for 10-12 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and satiny. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1½-2 hours or so.

Gently deflate the dough, turn it out onto a light floured board, cut in half (each piece weighs about 23½ ounces), and let rest for 10 minutes. Then roll each piece into a rectangle about 11×6-inches and let rest for 5 more minutes. Roll each rectangle up and place dough into 2 greased 8×4-inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until the bread has created over the top of the pan. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Bake in center of oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from pans and bake loaves directly on oven rack for a few minutes to firm the crust. Let cool completely before slicing.

Variations:

• Substitute 1/3 cup peanut or olive oil for the butter.
• Use fresh Parmesan or Romano only – 1 cup (4 ounces) – or use a mixture of the two.
• Use shredded sharp Cheddar (yellow or white) instead of the Gruyere.
• Add basil.

Apparently this is normal (and I’ll admit somewhat endearing) when the guy you’re dating is from Wisconsin.

And, as Tim learned, when you’re marrying a girl from Tennessee, it’s the norm to have a groom’s cake at your wedding. Here’s his:

After saying “I do”, it has been understood that Velveeta is never, ever allowed in our home under any circumstance. Nor is any Chicago Bear paraphernalia since, of course, we cheer for the Packers.

So, in honor of the Pack’s 5th trip to the Super Bowl, we offer our favorite mac & cheese. Oops! I mean “Pack & Cheese” as Tim has officially rechristened it.  Yellow cheese, green peas, and as our five year old pointed out “brown ham, kinda like Aaron Rodgers’ beard“ make this the perfect thing to eat on Sunday while cheering “Go Pack Go!”

“Pack & Cheese”

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated’s New Best Recipes

I prefer to keep this simple and on the stovetop, so I skip a bread crumb topping. I use cavatappi rather than elbow noodles or macaroni but you can use whatever you prefer. I also upped the spices a bit, adding a bay leaf and Tabasco.

Serves 6 as a main dish, 10-12 as a side dish. Can easily be halved.

• 1 lb. cavatappi
• kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• bay leaf
• 5 cups milk (skim, 2%, or whole all work fine – we usually use skim)
• 8 ounces (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese, freshly grated (please don’t use the preshredded stuff)
• 8 ounces (2 cups) white or yellow extra sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated (again, don’t give into temptation – grate it yourself, you’ll be glad you did!)
• 1 pound bag of frozen peas (no need to defrost) and/or broccoli or spinach
• 8 ounces of baked ham or a ham steak, sliced thick and cut into cubes
• Tabasco sauce, for sprinkling at table (try it!)

Boil cavatappi until “al dente”, being sure to really salt the water with kosher salt – it should taste like the ocean. Drain and set aside.

In your now empty pot, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour, mustard, cayenne, and bay leaf and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking until mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; bring mixture to full boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened to consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Off heat, remove the bay leaf and whisk in cheeses and kosher salt to taste. Mix until cheeses are fully melted. Add pasta, peas, and ham and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes. Serve with Tabasco if desired.

To reheat leftovers: Warm gently on stovetop, not the microwave, and add milk as needed to get sauce creamy again.

“There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chocolate Butter Cookies

slightly adapted from Holiday Baking 2009 by Cook’s Illustrated

makes about 4 dozen 2½-inch cookies

For these cookies, I used Dutch-process cocoa powder (such as Droste or Valrhona) for a more intense chocolate flavor and darker color.  But natural cocoa powder (such as Scharffen Berger, Hershey’s, or Nestle) will also work. However after reading Alice Medrich and David Lebovitz, I’ve learned that, in most recipes, Dutch-process and natural cocoa power can’t be used interchangeably. Natural cocoa powder is acidic and works with baking soda. Dutch-process cocoa has been neutralized and works with baking powder. But, as  there’s no leavening in these cookies, use whatever cocoa powder you have on hand.

On a less scientific note, I made the dough a day ahead and chilled it overnight. If you like to plan even farther in advance, it can been made and chilled, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. Defrost frozen dough in the chill chest overnight.

• 20 tablespoons unsalted butter (10 ounces), softened
• ½ cup (2 oz) cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2¼ cups (11¼ ounces) all-purpose flour

Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Glaze

• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons milk, divided
• 1½ cups (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add cocoa powder and espresso powder; stir until mixture forms smooth paste. Let cool for 15-20 minutes.

In stand mixer, beat remaining 16 tablespoons butter, sugar, salt, and cooled cocoa mixture on high speed until well combined and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping sides of mixing bowl once or twice. Add yolks and vanilla and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl. Turn mixer to low and add flour in three additions. Wait until flour is incorporated before adding more and scrape bowl after each addition. Continue mixing until dough forms cohesive ball, about 5 seconds. Turn dough onto counter; divide into three 4-inch disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm yet malleable, 45-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Roll out 1 dough disk between 2 large sheets parchment paper to even thickness of ¼ inch. (If dough becomes soft and sticky, rechill until firm, about 10 minutes.) Peel parchment from one side of dough and cut with cookie cutters. Space cookies about 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Gather dough scraps and chill.

Bake until cookies show slight resistance when gently pressed in the center, about 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. If cookies begin to darken on edges, they have overbaked and will be bitter (as will you). Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough disks and scraps, rerolling scraps just once. Decorate as desired with glazes and sprinkles or lightly dust with powdered sugar.

For Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze:

Melt bittersweet chocolate with butter and whisk until smooth. Add corn syrup and vanilla extract and mix until smooth and shiny. Use back of spoon to spread on each cookie. If glaze cools and thicken too much, gently reheat.

For Cream Cheese Glaze:

Whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons milk until it’s lump free. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar and salt until smooth, adding remaining milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread easily.

“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight…”

-M.F.K. Fisher in The Art of Eating

But what about the sound of good bread making? Yes, the sound, at least when it comes to these yeasted cranberry-pecan pumpkin loaves.

The boing, boing, boing of fresh cranberries bouncing, just like Tigger. While trying to stuff as many of these crimson beauties into the dough as possible, some inevitably ended up on my kitchen floor. Oops!

Cranberries bounce, hence their nickname “bounceberries”. Who knew? According to legend, a grower in the 1880′s named John “Peg Leg” Webb did. He had only one leg and couldn’t carry his cranberry harvest down from the storage loft in his barn. So instead he poured them down the steps. He noticed that only the freshest, firmest fruit reached the bottom. Rotten or bruised berries remained on the steps. This discovery led to the invention of cranberry bounce boards, which are still used today to help growers separate the bouncing fresh berries from the bounceless rotten ones.

OK, so cranberries have hops, but why? Small pockets of air inside the fruit allow them to bounce. Cranberries can hop and also pop. The popping noises heard when making cranberry sauce are the air pockets heating, expanding, and bursting. These same air pockets allow the berries to float on top of water, which makes harvesting easier. Most of our country’s cranberry crop is wet harvested. This means the bogs are flooded with water and the berries, which have risen to the top, are scooped up. Sure, getting the berries wet means they won’t keep long. But these cranberries are destined for juicing, canning, or drying, so shelf life isn’t an issue. However, it is for the fresh cranberries in the 12-ounce plastic bags currently lining the grocery store shelves. These berries are dry harvested or picked right off the vine. By keeping the bogs dry, the berries stay fresher longer, although several berries from my last bag beg to differ.

While bouncing may be what Tiggers do best, cranberries have other talents. Not only do they hop and pop, boing and bounce, but they also bake up beautifully, almost like jewels, in this bread. When I hear cranberry-pecan pumpkin bread, I immediately think of the standard baking powdered raised quick bread. This one’s different. It’s a yeasted fall mosaic that’s definitely not quick. Although it uses a straight dough method (no sponge or starter), it needs an overnight rest in the chill chest to do just that – chill to develop the most flavor and texture. Is it worth it? I think so, and so does my youngest daughter, who, when asked by her preschool teacher what she was thankful for, answered this bread.

Yeasted Cranberry–Pecan Pumpkin Loaves

makes 3 small (5¾ x 3¼ x 2″) loaves or 2 medium (8×4″) loaves. To make 8 mini loaves as pictured, double the recipe but use 2¼ teaspoons yeast and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water.

adapted from Steve Sullivan in Baking with Julia

With Sullivan’s recipes, I find I have to do very little tweaking. I swapped pecans for walnuts, upped the amount of cranberries (which may explain why they ended up on the floor), and added the weights.

• 2 2/3 cups (13 1/3 ounces) bread flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons tepid water (80-90°F)
• 2 teaspoons (1 ounce) active dry yeast
• 5 tablespoons (2½ ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar
• 1 cup (8 ounces) pureed cooked pumpkin or butternut squash, fresh or canned (See note below.)
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ¾ cup (3¼ ounces) pecans, chopped and toasted
• 1 cup (5½ ounces) raisins, plumped
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (4¼ ounces) – if frozen, thaw and pat dry

Mixing and Kneading: Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside.

Pour the water into a small bowl, sprinkle in the yeast, and whisk to blend. Allow the yeast to rest until it’s creamy, about 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the pumpkin and egg and beat until blended. The mixture will appear curdled but will smooth out when you add the dry ingredients.

Reduce the mixing speed to low and add the yeast. Then begin to gradually add the dry ingredients, about ½ cup at a time. As soon as the dough begins to come together, scrape the paddle clean and switch to the dough hook. If your dough does not come together (perhaps your pumpkin puree was liquidy), add a little more flour.

Mix and knead the dough on medium-low speed for 10-15 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl and the hook occasionally with a rubber spatula. At the start, the mixture will look more like a batter than a dough, but resist the urge to add more flour. Eventually it will develop into a soft sticky dough that will just ball up on the hook. (This dough develops much the way brioche does.)

With the machine on low speed, add the pecans and raisins, mixing only until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the cranberries and mix as little as possible to avoid crushing them. I find this easiest to do with my hands. Inevitably some cranberries will pop and stain the dough red. Smile and carry on.

First Rise: Scrape the dough into a lightly buttered large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled, about 2 hours.

Chilling the Dough: When the dough has doubled, fold it over on itself a couple of times to deflate it, wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Shaping the Dough: At least 6 hours before you want to begin baking, remove the dough from the chill chest. Leave the dough, covered in its bowl, until it reaches at least 64°F on an instant read thermometer. (This will take as long as 3 or 4 hours – be patient.) If you don’t have an instant read thermometer, look for the dough to be slightly cool and just a little spongy. Lightly butter three 5¾ x 3¼ x 2″  loaf pans (or your choice of pan). Working on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into thirds and pat each piece of dough into a 5 x 7″ rectangle; keep a short end facing you. Starting at the top of each rectangle, roll the dough toward you and seal the seam by pressing it with your fingertips. Seal the ends, then place each roll, seam side down, in a prepared pan.

Second Rise: Cover the pans lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature for 1½ – 2 hours, or until the dough has nearly doubled and risen just above the rims of the pans.

Baking the bread: Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F. Bake the loaves for about 35-45 minutes, or until deeply golden and the bread registers 190°F. You may want to shield the loaves lightly with foil during the last 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning of the crust.  Remove the pans to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes. Then turn the breads out of their pans and allow them to cool to room temperature on the rack.

Storing: The breads can be kept at room temperature for a day or two or frozen, wrapped airtight, for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Note: If using fresh pumpkin or butternut squash, split the squash, remove the seeds, and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Roast in a preheated 350°F oven for about an hour, or until meltingly tender. Scoop the softened pulp out of the shell and cool completely. One pound of squash yields about 12 ounces of cooked pulp.

What have we done with our pears a-plenty? We’ve eaten them out of hand, enjoyed them in salad, sauteed them to top our morning oatmeal, made them into soup, and baked them into a cake. Whew! It’s like we’re living “Iron Chef: Battle Pear.”

Yet even after all of this not a dent was made in our pile o’ pears, so I happily made another pear cake. And another. And yet another. That’s right. 1 week. 4 pear cakes. 5 family members. 0 leftovers. That’s a lot of cake, especially for a family that doesn’t really like cake to begin with. Or so we thought.

Then again, this isn’t your average cake. No fancy layers. No fussy fillings. No enormous piles of too-sweet icing. Not really much of anything but pears. Oh, and a bit of chocolate. As Chef Scott Carsberg says, “The cake is made of pears. I mean, the dough (actually more of a batter) is really only there as connective tissue binding the pears together. This cake is a wall of pear. Sweet pear bricks laid tightly one on top of the other. It comes to the table as a sugary rectangle. The top of the cake has caramelized into a crumbly topping. It’s not only sweet but add contrasting matte texture and yummy cake flavors to the stack of pears that make up the body. The body is super compressed. The texture of the cake is all spongy, buttery, fruity goodness.”

Ok, really Carsberg said apple(s), not pears, because his cookbook is entitled All About Apples. Not All About Pears, mind you, ’cause where’s the alliteration in that? But, we have pears, so his Bolzano Apple Cake (from Italy) became Pear and Chocolate Cake (from Nashville). Lucky for us, pears and apples are cousins, so they are usually interchangeable when baking. I further tweaked the recipe by reducing the sugar, lowering the butter (a first for me!), upping the flour, adding a pinch of salt, swapping vanilla extract for the vanilla bean, and adding some bittersweet chocolate. The result? Chocolate, custard, and pears, oh my!

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When life gives you pears, make this cake. Even if that means you don’t know Becky and must (gasp!) buy pears because this is the best way yet we’ve found to make our pears go bye. They’ll be missed.

Bolzano Pear and Chocolate Cake

makes 6-8 servings

inspired by Balzano Apple Cake in Scott Carsberg’s All About Apples and Becky’s pears

• ¾ cup (3¾ ounces) flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup (5¼ ounces) sugar
• 5 firm but ripe pears
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter, melted and cooled
• ½ cup ( 4 ounces) whole milk
• ½ cup (3 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch square pan* with foil or parchment. Coat foil with nonstick spray or lightly grease and flour.

Combine flour, baking powder and pinch of salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk eggs until foamy. Add vanilla and then slowly add half of sugar. Continue to whisk while slowly adding remaining sugar. Beat until thick; it should form a ribbon when dropped from a whisk.

Let batter rest while you peel, quarter, and core the pears. Slice thinly.

Slowly whisk melted and cooled butter into egg-sugar batter. Add about half of flour mixture, and when incorporated, add half of milk, then add remaining flour mixture, and end with milk. (The batter will be thin.) Fold in pears and chocolate, coating every piece with batter. You need just enough batter to bind the pears together – about a 2:1 ratio of pears to batter. Pour batter into pan, and gently even it out.

Bake for 80-90 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Cake should pull away from side of pan and be browned on top when done. A thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Cool on a wire rack (cake will slightly sink and shrink as it cools). Gently lift cake out of pan by holding onto the foil edges. Peel or trim off excess foil and then cut and generously sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serve warm (our preference) or at room temperature, with or without a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. If you have any leftovers, store them uncovered at room temperature and enjoy for breakfast the next morning.

*A note about the pan size: This is one case where size doesn’t matter. You can use a 9-inch square pan or an 8-inch square pan for a slightly taller cake. Or if you prefer a round cake, use an 8- or 9-inch springform pan placed on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper (to catch any leaks and make for easy clean-up). Or halve the recipe and make it in a 7-inch springform. After making this 4 times in 4 different pans (and remembering how to calculate the area of a circle), I can attest that this cake works well in any of these pans. So, the choice is yours.

When our daughters wonder why tv was not a part of their childhoods yet soccer and reading were, the answers are there. As are the reasons for not caring what they become when they grow up. Whoa – wait a minute. I do care – a little bit. If they want to be farmers – great! Writers – great! Picky eaters – not so great.

Why? Basically it comes down to pure laziness on my part.

I make one thing for dinner.  One thing only.

I just can’t bring myself to fix separate kid and adult plates, so they’ve been raised with the expectation that they eat what we eat. When they’re adults, they can decide what is served (which will probably mean no yellow squash – ever). But for now, as their momma (and a mean one at that), I get to do that.

Sure, I’ll admit that sometimes, especially when they were younger (they’re 9, 7, and just turned 5 as I write this), it was a struggle. And some days, it still is. But, together we’ve worked hard at becoming good eaters. We’ve invested in our children’s eating by having a vegetable garden, belonging to a CSA, visiting the farmers’ market weekly, and cooking together. But perhaps most importantly, they’ve learned that I’m not giving in, so they might as well give up. They now know to stop complaining and start eating because dinner isn’t over until their first plate is clean.

Last week, this meant that Lou slowly, slowly ate her way through her arugula salad, eating the greens, pears, almonds, and cranberries piece by piece. Finally, she finished and was offered seconds – of her choosing. Not surprisingly, she said no to more salad. But shockingly, she said yes to more eggplant potato pizza. The very pizza that she had balked at when she sat down at the table. A vegetarian pizza, made with a cornmeal crust topped with a savory spread of eggplant, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes, that somehow managed to taste meaty. She tried it and, by golly, discovered that she liked it and wanted more.

Sam-I-Am would be proud. I know I was.

Eggplant Potato Pizza

adapted from Amy’s Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree

makes enough for 2 12×17-inch pizzas

Dough

• 1 2/3 cups (13½ ounces) warm water (105-115° F)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (about 1½ packages)
• 4½ cups (20¼ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (2 ounces) coarse cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon (½ ounce) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
•  tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Savory Eggplant Saute (recipe follows)
• olive oil for brushing
• 3 cups (10½ ounces) mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup (4 ounces) Parmesan cheese, grated

For the dough:

Combine all the ingredients in bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with paddle attachment until all the flour is moistened and a shaggy mass has formed. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium speed until smooth and supple, about 5-7 minutes.

Gently shape dough into a loose ball. Put into a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature, until it has doubled, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425°F and place a baking stone in the oven to preheat for at least 30 minutes.

When dough has doubled, divide it into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a loose ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 10 minutes. (This allows the dough to relax so it’s easier to shape.)

Line two 12×17-inch baking sheets (half-sheet pans) with parchment and brush olive oil over parchment and sides of pans. Place one of dough balls into the pan and gently press and stretch it until it fills the pan evenly. If the dough resists stretching, let it rest for about 5 minutes before continuing. Repeat with remaining dough.

Lightly brush each rectangle of dough with olive oil, being sure to brush the edges. Divide eggplant topping between the two pizzas and spread evenly over dough, leaving small border around the edges. Divide cheeses between the two pizzas and sprinkle evenly over the top of each.

Put one pan directly on the baking stone and one on a rack above it. Rotate the pans from top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and golden and the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.

Let the pizzas cool in the pans on a rack for about 5 minutes. Use a metal spatula to loosen the crust of each pizza from the edge of the pan. Using the parchment overhang, lift out the pizza and place on a cutting board. Slide the parchment out from under the pie. Use a pizza wheel or a long chef’s knife to cut the pizza.

Savory Eggplant Saute

Don’t limit yourself to using this as only a pizza topping. Serve with rice or pasta, stuff into a pita, top focaccia, or freeze for your next pizza.

• ¼ cup (2 ounces) olive oil
• 2 medium (14 ounces) onions, sliced
• 1 medium (18 ounces) eggplant, unpeeled and diced
• 2 small to medium (12 ounces) potatoes (unpeeled), diced
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• kosher salt
• red pepper flakes to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, eggplant, potatoes, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and juice. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Turn heat down to low, cover pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat, uncover, and let cool before using to top pizza. Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

It keeps going, even when we’ve had our fill of zucchini lemon muffins and zucchini fritters.

And going, until a Montana woman reaches for one to fend off a bear attack. (Yes, seriously.)

And going, until we make these zucchini pickles.

And then it’s going, going, gone.

Zucchini Pickles

adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

makes about 1 quart

Because these are quick pickles (quickles), no special canning equipment or know-how is required. All that’s needed is zucchini, onions, kosher salt, vinegar, sugar and spice. (And everything nice. That’s what pickles are made of.)

Actually, these aren’t limited to zucchini, as you can see from the pictures. These bread and butter pickles also work well with yellow squash. Use a mixture of the two squashes to make your jar of pickles extra colorful. Or try using green beans, carrots, okra, bell peppers, or cucumbers instead.

I reduce the sugar and add red pepper flakes and garlic to add a little zing to the original recipe. I prefer the pickles cut thicker than the one-sixteenth-inch thick recommended. I also like adding “stripes” by running the tines of a fork lengthwise down the zucchini before slicing.

* 1 pound zucchini, sliced ¼-inch thick
* 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
* 2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 2 cups cider vinegar
* ¾ cup (5¼ ounces) sugar
* 1½ teaspoons dry mustard
* 1½ teaspoons yellow and/or brown mustard seeds
* ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
* ½-;¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 2-3 cloves garlic, whole

Combine the zucchini and onions in a large but shallow bowl, add the salt and mix well. Add a few ice cubes and cold water to cover, then stir to dissolve the salt. Chill for about one hour. This step ensures that the zucchini stays crisp because the salt draws out the excess moisture, so don’t skip it.

Meanwhile, open your kitchen window and/or turn on your exhaust fan because this next step stinks – literally. Combine the vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, mustard seeds, turmeric (careful – it stains!), red pepper flakes, and garlic in a small saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside until just warm to the touch. If the brine is too hot, it will cook the vegetables and make the pickles soft instead of crisp.

After about 1 hour of chilling, taste and feel a piece of zucchini — it should be slightly softened. Drain and pat dry.

Return the zucchini to a dry bowl and pour in the cooled brine. Stir to evenly distribute the spices. Transfer the pickles to a quart jar, preferably one that has “shoulders” to hold the zucchini and onions beneath the surface of the brine. Seal tightly and refrigerate for at least a day before serving. This allows the flavors to mellow and permeate the zucchini. These will last about 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

No, the shock on Lou’s face isn’t from learning about the imminent wedding. It’s from a different discovery, made possible with Goatgirl’s tutelage and Morgan the goat’s patience. If you squeeze it, milk will come.

Last fall my girls milked Morgan. Winter and spring, Goatgirl and Goatboy cared for her and all her friends. This summer we ate their cheese spread on crackers and topped with blueberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers. So simple. So good.

So, thanks Goatgirl and Goatboy. You are real-life superheroes to us. Now, about those capes…

Goat Cheese and Crackers with Blueberries, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers

This really isn’t much of a recipe, now is it? Still, it’s a fun appetizer or light lunch, but don’t make it too far in advance as the chevre will soften the crackers.

* goat cheese
* lemon zest or juice
* crackers
* toppings: blueberries, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers
* kosher salt

Soften goat cheese and mix in lemon to taste. Spread on crackers and add toppings. Sprinkle salt over tomatoes and cucumbers. Eat and repeat as needed.

Or so I thought. My 4 year old had spied sugar cookies decorated like sunflowers. Just like the ones in our garden. She asked if we could buy some. She even included the magic word. On her own – without my prompting.

My response? I said no. No to the polite angel smiling up at me. No to the colorful cookies staring at me. No, because storytime was about to begin, and the puppets wait for no one. As a way to soften the “no”, I explained that while we wouldn’t buy any, we would make some for our Fun Friday baking project.

And so 48 hours later we did, and what a Fun Friday it was! We mixed, chilled, rolled, rechilled, cut out, and baked cookies all morning long. After letting them cool during lunch, the real fun began – the decorating!

While I’m not usually a big fan of rolled out cookies, I must admit these actually taste as good as they look. The inclusion of cream cheese in the dough and glaze gives the cookies some much needed “oomph!” to accompany the “awes” inspired by my preschooler’s “painting” and sprinkling skills. Look out Monet – there’s a new sunflower artist in town!

So, when she asked for one for dessert on Friday night, I said – wait for it – yes! Turns out that she liked them all the more after waiting and then making them herself. This all goes to show that sometimes when you say “please” you don’t get what you ask for. Sometimes you get something even better.

Sunflower Cookies (Glazed Butter Cookies)

adapted from The New Best Recipe by Cook’s Illustrated

makes about 38 2-inch cookies

Cookie Dough

* 2½ cups (12½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
* ¾ cup (5½ ounces) superfine sugar*
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 16 tablespoons (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into sixteen pieces, slightly softened
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

Glaze and Decorations

* 1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
* 3 tablespoons milk, divided
* 1½ cups (6 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
* pinch of salt
* yellow and red food coloring
* 2 ounces milk chocolate or chocolate chips
* 1 cup chocolate chips
* coarse sugar, such as turbinado or sugar in the raw

*Since I was too lazy to go to the store for superfine sugar, I processed an equal amount of granulated sugar in the food processor for 30 seconds. Worked just fine.

For Cookies:

Mix: Using a stand mixer on low speed, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet. Add vanilla and cream cheese and continue to mix on low until dough just begins to form large clumps.

Chill: Knead dough by hand in bowl for 2-3 turns to form large cohesive mass. Divide dough in half, flatten into disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20-30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks; defrost in refrigerator before using.)

Roll and Rechill: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place one dough disk onto large piece of parchment paper. Roll out to even thickness, about 1/8-¼ inch thick. Place rolled dough (still on parchment) onto baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with second disk.

Cut Out: Working with first portion of rolled dough, cut out sunflowers using cookie cutter and place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet. If needed, return to refrigerator to chill dough again or briefly pop into freezer.

Bake: Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Repeat with second portion of rolled dough. (Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and re-rolled once.) Cool cookies on wire rack to room temperature.

For Decorating:

Whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons milk until it’s lump free. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar and salt until smooth, adding remaining milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread easily. Add several drops of yellow food coloring and one drop of red until desired color is achieved (remember it will dry lighter).

Place plain cookies on rack set into sheet pan so that excess glaze, sugar, and chocolate from decorating will fall between wires onto sheet pan below. Using small silicone basting brush, “paint” sunflower petals with glaze. Immediately sprinkle with coarse sugar.

While glaze is drying, melt milk chocolate. Spoon dollop of chocolate into center of sunflower and spread with back of spoon to fill in center circle. Add chocolate chips to represent sunflower seeds. Let dry and then enjoy!

Variations:

* Add lemon or orange zest to the dough.
* Add or substitute almond extract.

Easy. Peasy. Lemon. Squeezy.

Even if you’re a 4 year old.

Lemon-Buttermilk Sherbet

adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2001

Bon Appetit calls this a sorbet, but technically, it’s a sherbet. Why? Well, sorbets, unlike sherbets, aren’t made with milk, buttermilk, or cream. In addition to the name change, I’ve reduced the the sugar (to make it extra tangy), rubbed the zest into the sugar (to infuse the sugar and keep the zest from clumping around the paddle while churning), and added a pinch of salt (to brighten the flavor).

makes about 1½ quarts

* 2 tablespoons lemon zest
* 1½ cups (10½ ounces) sugar
* ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 or 4 lemons)
* 4 cups whole-fat buttermilk
* pinch of coarse salt

Rub lemon zest into sugar with fingertips.
Add lemon juice and mix well.
Add buttermilk and stir until sugar dissolves.
Chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
Churn in your ice cream maker.
Serve plain or with berries or ginger cookies.

Variation
Use other citrus fruits such as limes or oranges.

Freedom Bread for the 4th of July!

Freedom Bread (White Loaves with Dried Cranberries and Blueberries)

makes 2 loaves

adapted from White Loaves recipe by Craig Kominiak in Baking With Julia

• 2½ cups warm water (105-115°F)
• 1 tablespoon (about 1½ packages) active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 cups (30 ounces) bread flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (5¼ ounces) dried cranberries
• 1 cup (6¼ ounces) dried blueberries

Mixing and Kneading

Pour ½ cup of the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle in the yeast and sugar, and whisk to blend. Allow the mixture to rest until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups water and about 3 cups flour to the yeast mixture. Using the dough hook, start mixing on low so that the flour doesn’t fly all over the counter and then add the remaining 3 cups flour. Increase the mixer speed to medium (#4 on a Kitchen Aid) and beat to bring the dough together, stopping to scrape down the bowl and hook as needed. Add a bit more flour or water, a tablespoon at a time, as needed. Add the salt and continue to knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. When the dough is thoroughly mixed, add the butter, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until incorporated. Don’t despair if your beautiful dough comes apart with the addition of butter — beating will bring it back together. On the lowest speed, mix in the dried cranberries and dried blueberries. I often find this easier to do by hand. The berries may keep popping out but just be patient and keep kneading. Resting the dough for a few minutes and then resuming kneading may also help to incorporate all the berries.

First Rise

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Place it in a large buttered or oiled bowl. Turn the dough around to cover its entire surface with butter or oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 1 hour to 1¼ hours.

Shaping the Dough

Butter two 8½ by 4½ inch loaf pans and set them aside.

Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half (each half will weigh about 2 pounds) and work with one piece at a time. Using the palms of your hands, pat the dough into a rectangle with a width equal to the pan length. Starting at the top, fold the dough about two thirds of the way down the rectangle and seal it with your fingers. Then fold it down again, so that the top edge meets the bottom edge. Tightly seal the seam by pinching it. Turn the roll so that the seam is in the center of the roll, facing up, and turn the ends of the roll in just enough so that it fits in your loaf pan. Pinch the seams to seal, turn the loaf over so that the seams are on the bottom, and plump the loaf with your palms to get an even shape. Place the loaf into the pan, seam side down, and repeat with the other piece of dough.

Second Rise

Cover the loaves with oiled plastic wrap, and allow them to rise at room temperature until they double in size again, growing over the tops of the pans, about 1½ to 2 hours.

While the loaves rise, center a rack in the oven and preheat the over to 375°F.

Baking the Bread

When the loaves are fully risen over the tops of the pans, bake them for 35-45 minutes, or until they are honey-brown and an instant-read thermometer plunged into the bottom center of the bread measures 200°F. Immediately remove the loaves from their pans and cool them on racks.

A “pee-mergency”!

And, if you go in the bathroom American and you come out American, what are you while you are in there?

You’re a pee-ing! (European)

Hahaha. Good ol’ potty humor. It never gets old, does it? Or then again, does it? Maybe, just maybe, these jokes are only funny coming from the mouths of my 4, 7, and 9 year old kids. Ok, let’s be honest – and my 35 year old kid, er, I mean husband, as well. (This is why when people ask me, “Don’t you want to ‘try’ for a boy?” I can honestly answer, “No way – I already have one!”)

Ok, back to pee. Or better yet, the pea. I’m not kidding when I say that in early June our home seemed to be in a “state of pea-mergency” as we tried to harvest all the garden peas before the heat got too much for them (and us). We quickly learned that pea stands for pick every afternoon to keep the plants producing.

So, for a far too brief season (a mere 3 weeks!), we kept picking, the peas kept coming, and we kept eating, especially this dish of crispy gnocchi with fresh peas and bacon. Here gnocchi (or gnudi as they’re also called) are made with ricotta rather than the traditional potatoes. Rather than the usual boiling, they’re sauteed in brown butter until golden, brown, and delicious, and then tossed with a pea and bacon sauce. Kinda makes all the picking and shelling worthwhile – and then some.

You may find yourself in a “pea-mergency” when you use all your fresh peas and want, no, need to make this again. I think this will work with frozen ones but what’s the fun in that? No picking, no shelling. Ah, yes, the fun is the eating. And eating this doesn’t get old.

Crispy Gnocchi with Fresh Peas and Bacon

adapted from Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen by Michael Symon

Ricotta Gnocchi or Gnudi

• ¾ cup (3.5 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• grated zest of 1 lemon (save lemon to juice for sauce below)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta*, drained overnight
• 1 large egg

*Symon prefers sheep’s milk ricotta (more body and tang) but since I couldn’t find it around here, I used his suggestion to mix fresh goat chese into cow’s milk ricotta to give it more depth. I put it in a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and let it sit overnight in the chill chest.

Fresh Pea and Bacon Sauce

The original recipe calls for mushrooms rather than bacon, and it’s good like that as well. To make this vegetarian, simply substitute morels or shiitakes for the pork. Saute them until soft (about 2 minutes) in 4 tablespoons of butter when you begin the sauce. Or live on the wild side and use both mushrooms and bacon! Just don’t forget the peas. I upped the pea quantity significantly because I like them and had fresh ones to use up. You can also substitute orange for the lemon in the both gnocchi and sauce.

• ¼ pound bacon or pancetta, diced (1 cup)
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups shelled fresh peas (frozen works in a pinch)
• 12 fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (left whole)
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• 2 tablespoons water

For the gnocchi dough, combine the flour, parmesan, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl. Add the ricotta and egg. Mix well with a wooden spoon or your fingers until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overwork the dough or it’ll end up tough. Tough gnocchi = yucky!

Scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface and pat into a rough square. Cut the dough into thirds using a bench scraper or knife. Gently roll each piece into a foot-long rope, about an inch in diameter, flouring as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface. Place the dough ropes onto a lightly floured plate or rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, for 5 minutes and up to 2 hours.

After the dough has rested, return the ropes to a floured surface. Cut each rope into ½-inch pieces with a bench scraper or knife and set aside while you start the sauce.

For the sauce, cook the bacon bacon in a large saute pan over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes. (Pour off some of the fat if your pork is especially greasy. You’ll want about 2 tablespoons of fat.) Add the shallot and garlic, sweat for 1 minute, and then add the lemon juice.

Increase the heat to medium, add the peas, and saute just until the peas brighten in color. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the parsley and 2 tablespoons butter. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary, though you shouldn’t need much, if any, because the bacon adds a natural saltiness to the sauce. Turn off the heat and set aside while you saute the gnocchi.

To finish the gnocchi, heat 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a saute pan large enough to accomodate all of the gnocchi without crowding. When the butter becomes brown and fragrant, add the gnocchi to the pan and cook, turning as necessary, until they’re browned and crisp on all sides, 5 or 6 minutes.

Pour in the pea and bacon sauce, turning to coat. Add the remaining tablespoon butter, the parmesan, and the 2 tablespoons of water while turning the gnocchi. Allow the sauce ingredients to emulsify and form a silken coating, 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce should cling to the gnocchi. Spoon the gnocchi and sauce into shallow bowls and serve immediately. Feel free to lick the pan and serving spoon. We did.

• 6 nights to be with her mom as she fought off cancer
• 2 nights to give birth to Oakley
• 2 nights to give birth to Lindy

Seriously, Jenn is hardcore. (Mind you, I don’t believe go away from your kids for a night is a failing on the part of a mother or a father… I’ve been away for the last 8 nights, and I’m sitting in an airport now, but it does show a certain level of commitment on Jenn’s part.)

Finally, though, circumstances presented themselves in such a way that Jenn chose to join me for a long weekend in New York City! How cool is that? So, I thought I’d share with you, our loyal readers, some of my favorite memories from the trip…

As you might expect, a fair portion of our trip was driven by food. In fact, I would say that food was our tour guide, telling us where to go and when. I prepared Jenn for this upon her arrival by saying, “You simply cannot let your hunger guide your eating on this trip. You must keep eating.”

And so, in no particular our, here are a few of our favorite things…

1. Wicked was wicked. I’m quite open about the fact that I grew up on musical theater. Heck, I even acknowledge that I like Hanson, and so we made our way to three shows together (plus I saw Hair on my own.) While American Idiot and Billy Elliott had their moments, without a doubt, our favorite was Wicked. The music, the performances… they were great. But for me, the story stands out beyond all else. The way that the plot connects to The Wizard of Oz and then twists it to the edge of recognition… I absolutely adored it.
2. Jenn wore heels. That’s right, on Saturday, we were going to dinner and the show, and Jenn was wearing some pretty high wedges, and we were walking along 53rd Street at a pretty high pace. And then… Jenn. Was. Gone. I’m serious, she was next to me, and then all of a sudden, she wasn’t. You see, the sidewalks aren’t always level, and one of them took her out. 5’11” one moment, 1’6” the next. Fortunately, she was fine, no blood was drawn, I didn’t laugh, and we went about our merry business.
3. The Levain chocolate chip cookie. Trust me, we tried a bunch of cookies, and this round mound of cookie-dom stick in my memory. It’s so thick it’s almost cookie dough in the middle, even though the outside is nice and crispy.
4. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I’ve gotten to experience this a number of times, but Jenn rarely has enough time away from the girls to appreciate just how cool they are. A day or so into the trip, Jenn and I started talking about Aspen, Oakley, and Lindy, and we’re in total agreement. We really like our kids.
5. The Union Square Greenmarket. We certainly love our farmers’ markets, and the Union Square version ranked up there. I was struck by the quantities of certain foods, the quality of the apples, and how difficult it would be for me to carry home everything we would buy there if we lived in New York.
6. The bagel with lox from Murray’s. This was a last minute addition to the food tour on Monday morning before we left, and we were so glad we made it. The capers, the onions, the salmon… they really added a lot. Well worth it.
7. Dinner with Miss Drury! That’s right, Oakley. We got to see Miss Dru… I mean, Megan, without you! (The adjustment to calling her by her first name continues to traumatize me.) Megan and “her special friend” George drove up from their new home in Philadelphia just to have dinner with us. Megan chose a favorite from her childhood and took us to China Grill, which was awesome. It was our only “sit-down” meal of the weekend, and I’m glad for that since it was so good. The company was OK, too. ;)
8. The City Bakery. This was our very favorite place to eat in the city of New York. In fact, we went back to the City Bakery on Monday because it was just that good. The Pretzel Croissant is so good it has its own website, but there are several other worthy things there as well. When eaten fresh, I would rate their chocolate chip cookie as the best in New York as well. On the way to the airport, we picked up some stuff for the road. I may or may not have polished off three cookies and a croissant on the flight to Denver.
9. The World Cup. Jenn was nice enough to let me watch the whole US-ENG World Cup game, even though we were in NYC! The fact that I was kicking the bed occasionally may have interrupted someone’s nap.

Some conclusions…

• If we ever lived in NYC or visited again, I would want to find a funky hotel in the Union Square area. We really like this part of town, partly because of The City Bakery, and partly cause it’s just a little slower than midtown… like us.
• Kopp’s is undoubtedly better than the Shake Shack.
• The Pickle Guys, being Jewish and all, are not open on Saturdays.
• The creme brule doughnut at The Doughnut Plant is good, but not awe inspiring.
• Jenn is a cheap date. Bakeries are much cheaper than other places you could eat in NYC.
• The cookies at Ma Peche blow. They were prebaked, wrapped in plastic. Clearly we did not get the same cookie as the people who voted it best cookie in NYC.
• We’re not gonna move to NYC.

So, our trip was great, and we owe many thanks to Grammie and Grandpa for watching the girls. I’m told everything was great… The girls even scored ice cream and paletas in the same day. I might be jealous.