The kids are home from school, boredom levels rise, what to do? Cookies! Caitlin Daniels of Two Tarts Bakery, gives us another idea how to have delicious fun with some of our favorite cookie cutters. She demonstrates using a Christmas tree cut-out on this Cashew Shortbread recipe. Year after year I’ve been making my favorite sugar cookie recipe, but this year I’m going to start a new tradition. What’s your favorite Holiday time cookie?

Check out these recipes from the show: Cashew Shortbread Recipe; Favorite Sugar Cookies Recipe

One of Elizabeth’s favorite recipe’s is a twist on the popular Pecan Tassie, by using locally grown hazelnut’s from Freddy Guys, and making it her own: Hazelnut Tassies. If hazelnuts (also known as filberts) aren’t available in your area, you might want to try pistachios or stick with pecans. Happy baking!

Hazelnut Tassies being made

Check out Elizabeth’s Hazelnut Tassies recipe here!

The baking season is upon us, with Thanksgiving just ahead. In this video, Catherine Schon, of Sassafras Catering, demonstrates how to make a tasty homemade pie crust. Now for some of you this will be old hat, but for many who are rediscovering the baker within, this will be very useful to watch. Actually, even as a seasoned home-baker, you might pick up some tips – I did! Ms. Schon was kind enough to also share her Home Made Pie Crust Recipe.

Catherine Schon, Sassafras Catering

And before you start making dough, here’s a good tip I learned from the TwoJunes post, Pie, It’s A Way of Life; double or triple the pie dough recipe, divide accordingly, wrap in wax paper, and freeze until needed.

Happy baking, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Jack Campbell In His Kitchen

It’s berry season once again, and for those who may be looking for new recipe ideas to highlight the summer season, Jack Campbell, aka Chef Jacques, offers up some of his berry creations. They range from quick sauces (a coulis) to simple dessert ideas – all easy, delicious, and fun.

And for those wanting more, watch the related story about Marge Braker and an old friend who develop a closer bond through their connection with preserving food: Preserving Food and Friendship.

First, Ivy Manning visited with Shari Sirkin, of Dancing Roots Farm, and learned more about kale. Now it’s time to take that kale into the kitchen and create something delicious and easy to make, with ingredients that are commonly found in most kitchens! Full Disclosure: I made this dish for my family—it’s wonderful!

“What’s your favorite potato story?” Gene Theil, the spunky potato farmer nicknamed “ Gene the Potato Machine,” asked me one crisp November morning as I chose from his table of russets. I drew a blank. “Everyone has a potato story,” he assured me. It finally dawned on me: colcannon. My grandmother used to make the satisfying mash of kale or cabbage and potatoes for me when I was a kid. She said its origins came from necessity when times were tough in Ireland. Women would add kale, cabbage, or even seaweed to their mashed potatoes to stretch the meager harvest;– the greener the colcannon, the tougher the times. Gene was happy to hear that he was right again, we all have a potato story. My love of simple but comforting colcannon inspired this satisfying variation of double- stuffed potatoes; it’s a sort of Irish soul food, if you will.

Ivy Manning: From The Field To the Kitchen

Fresh Ingredients:

• 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed (8 to 10 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions (about 1 large)
• 1 cup Irish-style stout
• 1 bunch lacinato kale or Russian kale(about 3 ounces)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Rub the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of the oil and place directly on the oven rack. Bake until they squish easily when gently squeezed, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Add a splash of the stout and scrape up any browned bits. Continue to cook, occasionally deglazing the pan with the stout until the onions are deep brown and nearly all of the stout is used, about 30 minutes total.
3. Tear the tough ribs and stems away from the kale and discard or use for stock. Roughly chop the leaves and add half the kale to the onions, tossing with tongs to wilt the leaves. Add the remaining kale, toss, cover, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. With a serrated knife slice off the top quarter of each potato. Use a soup spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell on the bottom and sides. Mash the flesh with the buttermilk, butter, and mustard powder. Gently fold in the onion-kale mixture and season with the salt and pepper. Mound the mixture into the potato shells, sprinkle the tops with the cheese, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes, and serve warm as a side dish or a vegetarian main course.

Recipe & Family Story Courtesy of Ivy Manning
Download this recipe (PDF)

Watch the related video story: Cooking With Love: Alice’s Kitchen Fresh, home cooked meals prepared with love; a Lebanese tradition transferred from mother to daughter. Linda Sawaya shares her love of food, and the generations of culinary knowledge passed down through oral tradition.

A few years ago, I produced a couple of feature length DVDs on the subject of championship barbecue. This is a clip from the second DVD, Barbecue Secrets: The Master Guide to Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin, that goes into considerable depth on the whole process of how to cook low & slow style barbecue from three world-champion cooks, and restaurateurs.

In this video clip, Terry Black, of Super Smokers BBQ shares his tips how to cook barbecue ribs that are rich in flavor, and come apart with your fingers (forks and knives not required). This is really no exaggeration, the attention to detail, and the care and knowledge he applies to his cooking is indicative of how these competition cooks approach their work, and simply how out of the ordinary their ribs compare with most backyard cooks.

After witnessing (and filming) a number of championship barbecue events, I’m all in support of adding this sport to the Summer Olympics roster.

Click here for a complimentary digital copy of the BBQ Secrets: The Master Guide to Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin’ 18-page recipe booklet (pdf) of the champions favorite recipes. Enjoy!

Dungeness Crab is nearing the end of its natural season, and this has been a good year for this crab. Not only is it a delicacy to eat, it’s at the top of the Seafood Watch list (Best Choice) for a sustainable fish. Chef Stu Stein demonstrates how to make Dungeness Crab salad with fennel spice and curry mayonnaise. Check out this fabulous recipe from Stu Stein: Dungeness Crab and Fuji Apple with Curry Mayonnaise.

Planning to entertain company? This simple to make cheese platter may provide just the right decorative, and tasty augmented cheeses to delight your guests. Some of the artisan cheeses that Chef Jacques, aka, Jack Campbell, uses in this video are:

1. Gorgonzola
2. Smoked Gouda
3. Reggiano (Parmesan)
4. Emmentaler
5. Gruyère
6. Chevre (goat cheese)

Various fruits and vegetable have been ripening these past few weeks. Have you had a chance to put any up? A favorite around our household is pears, especially the bartlett variety. Like most other fruit, once ripened, if you can’t eat it all, consider canning or preserving in some fashion. Marge Braker, a retired home economics teacher from Oregon State University Extension Service, shows how easy it is to can pears in this video demonstration. She also includes all the necessary steps in her recipe, canning pears, raw pack.

I think canning pears makes for a nice presentation and ease of use for future recipes such as this pear bread recipe. Here are two additional sites to find out more about the canning process: Canning Across America and Food In Jars. And, for more great information and demonstrations on how to can, check out the DVD, Preserving with Friends, that Marge did with her friend Harriet Fasenfest.

But, for those who want to cook barbecue that is consistently extraordinary, there is an art, a science, and an incredible body of knowledge to acquire in order to become a true master. Mike “Sarge” Davis, head cook of the Whole Hog Café, in Little Rock, Arkansas is one of those true masters of barbecue.

Check out the following related barbecue stories, and recipes: Going Whole Hog: Going whole hog for world champion BBQer Mike Davis is an every day experience. A cancer survivor, Davis has made barbecue not only his life’s passion, he has made it into a highly successful career; Journey of a Barbecue Champion: It’s a long road, and it’s not easy, a personal look at a barbecue world champion.

Try out some of Mike “Sarge Davis’s recipes: BBQ Bacon Wrapped Shrimp; Por-Qué BBQ Beans.

Want to put a chunky twist to pesto? This not only adds a new flavor, but also a great texture to this sauce that originated from Italy. Try it on pasta, bruschetta, seafood, or even as a condiment!

Just when you may have thought there is nothing new to learn about cooking artichokes, this demonstration with Michele Knaus offers some surprising tips. I know it’s made my artichokes better to eat!