Plain Chicken

This is an angel made of stained glass with a little votive candle (spruce scent) burning behind her.  She is one of my favorite Christmas decorations.  I love candles.  I just like nice smells.  I am kind of weird about the way things smell, too, though.  Son #2 is the same way.  He used to come home from sleep overs and wash his clothes so that they would smell "right."  Same thing when he took his own personal pillow with him to visit his grandparents.  Not that his grandparents or friends smell bad.  He just wanted his stuff to smell like his house.  Enough of that.  Not what I planned to blog about this morning!
School is out for two weeks (yippee!!), my cute bag is still full of ungraded exams (stashed in my bedroom so I don't have to look at it except when I am hopping into bed) along with the orange pen I will use to grade them (yes, I am definitely learning to love that color), and Mildred the Mixer and the oven have been getting quite a workout.  Son #2, College Boy, is home for a month of sleeping late and hanging out with his friends, so I have one more to cook for.  That is a good thing for me.  Not a chore.  And, thanks to Son #2, I have found a new blog and virtual cooking friend (she probably isn't aware of our friendship yet, but that's okay)--  Plain Chicken.

Son's girlfriend sent him a link for a recipe that she knew he would love.  It involves, pasta, chicken, and Alfredo sauce.  The 9 x 13-inch pan of this deliciousness didn't last long (the Ex-Ex is fond of the above ingredients, also).

My photos are no where near as appetizing as Plain Chicken's are.  I want a serious camera, but I am not sure I am deserving of one.  I would then expect myself to take photos like Pioneer Woman takes for her blog and cookbooks.  (But, hey, Santa, you can put one under the tree anyway... okay, okay, maybe next year.)
I "cheated" when I made this recipe.  Well, it isn't exactly cheating, but I didn't roast the chicken (Harris Teeter did- they are on sale on Sundays), nor did I make my own Alfredo sauce this time...

So this dish was ready for the oven in no time.  A little Caesar salad or broccoli on the side and voilà! Bon appétit!
I also found a recipe for Red Velvet brownies at Plain Chicken.  Southern girls cannot resist the thought of making chocolate turn red.  Do they think this way up north?  I've always figured it was in our South-of-the-Mason-Dixon-line blood, but what do I know?  I've never lived up there.  And I very rarely go north of Washington, DC except to an airport to connect for a flight to France occasionally.

Ready for the oven.

Once again, not the best of photos.  It looks as if I cut it with a machete.  (Instead of the really sharp knife that I have now used to slice both thumbs during these cooking adventures.  Band-Aid should love me.)  Red Velvet is kind of messy.  But the BFF didn't care.  I took her a little sample when we went for our morning walk yesterday.

Three Cheese Chicken Alfredo Bake

1 (16 oz) package penne or elbow pasta
2 (10 oz) containers refrigerated Alfredo sauce
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 (15 0z) container ricotta or cottage cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. chopped chicken
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

Prepare pasta according to package directions (al dente is best); drain and return to pot.  Stir together all ingredients but mozzarella.  Spread into lightly greased 13 x 9- inch baking pan.  Sprinkle with mozzarella.  Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.


Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting

4 (1 oz each) squares of bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
3/4 c. butter
2 c. sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 (1 oz) bottle red liquid food coloring
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2-3 inches over hang.  Lightly grease foil.
Melt chocolate and butter in microwave or on stove top.  Whisk in sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, whisking just until blended.  Gently stir in flour and next 4 ingredients.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 44-48 minutes or until toothpick stuck in middle comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.  Cool 2 hours before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(small batch)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and salt, beating until blended.  Stir in vanilla.  Add more sugar or half and half until desired spreading consistency.

Bon appétit, Plain Chicken!

Adieu, George

(Photo:  Simon Nofolk)

One of my favorite places in Paris is Shakespeare and Company bookstore.  If you've never been there, put it on your itinerary for the next time you are in the City of Light.  George Whitman, proprietor for more than 50 years, died yesterday, December 14, at the age of 98.  I became fascinated with this place after reading Jeremy Mercer's Time Was Soft There:  A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare and Company.  Whitman took in writers and let them stay in the store.  There are beds tucked in every little corner of the building.  It is crammed full of books, all in English.  I have spent hours in there searching for an old volume of poetry or some other treasure to take home as a special gift.  The cashier will stamp the inside of the book for you if you ask.  Sylvia Whitman, George's daughter, will continue to run the shop.

I put my business card on the bulletin board there a couple of years ago.  I couldn't resist.

I took the BFF and Mo there, too.

I read that Mr. Whitman will be buried in Père Lachaise cemetery.  Rest in peace, George.  I never met you, but you will certainly be missed.

Bon appétit, George.  I am sorry we never shared a glass of wine.  Adieu.

Christmas gifts 2011

It's truly beautiful, isn't it?  Un très beau sapin, n'est-ce pas?  We get ours each year from TROSA.  God bless you, TROSA, for the work you do to get people's lives back on track.  The guys at the tree lot are the best!  We asked for tall and skinny and one fellow found the perfect tree.
One more day until winter break.  My exams have been given and are waiting for me to grade them (I hope they don't get too impatient...).  Thanks to one of my students, they are sitting in a very chic bag. 

(A list of yummy café drinks!)

Et l'Arc de Triomphe et la Tour Eiffel, bien sûr.

Le petit déjeuner, mes amis?
Too cute.

The manufacturer, in case you are curieux.
I came into my classroom this morning to find this note on the board:

Isn't that great?

I promise to try it, Lily, and report back!  I take my tasting duties very seriously.  That also goes for the banana chocolate chip bread, the pumpkin bread, the fudge, the Godiva chocolates, the coffee, and the peppermint bark. 

Bon appétit et merci, mes chers élèves!

Americans in Paris

Meet (virtually) David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize winning author.  I had heard of him because Son #2 and the Ex-Ex are history nuts and read quite a bit.  He won the Pulitzer not once, but twice, for Truman and John Adams.  I saw his book, The Greater Journey, Americans in Paris in the bookstore, read about it in the newspaper, but decided not to spend $37.50 on a book that I might not even like.  So, I put my name on the waiting list at the library.  I am not a very patient person, but I had lots of other books to read.  I finally got the call from the library and went to pick it up.  Well, I was immediately hooked and knew that I had to have my own copy.  I came up with a couple of old Barnes and Noble gift cards with more than half the price of the book left on them and I bought my own.  (I also get either the member discount or an educator discount-- every little bit helps, n'est-ce pas?)
This book is set in Paris in the years between 1830 and 1900 and tells the story of several Americans who moved there to either further their education and training or to work.  Artists, sculptors, writers, politicians, musicians, and doctors, such as Samuel F.B. Morse, James Fenimore Cooper, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Elihu Washburne, Elizabeth Blackwell, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Mary Cassatt, and John Singer Sargent come to life through Mr. McCullough's words.  And I can't believe how much I didn't know about Paris.  I knew next to nothing about the Franco-Prussian War, the Commune, and Napoléon III's building projects.  Was I sleeping through my college French civilization courses or what? 
I am almost finished, but I have a feeling that I will go back and reread many of the sections.  I know that I will look at Paris through different eyes when I return next month. 

The Pont Neuf

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Man at the Window

Gustave Caillebotte 

 

In 2006, Son #2 and I went to Boston to see a Red Sox baseball game.  We had a great time (even though the Sox lost) visiting the city.  I saw a poster advertising an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Americans in Paris 1860-1900. I worked out a deal with son and in exchange for a tour of Fenway Park, he would accompany me to the art museum.  I wish I could go back in time and the see the exhibit again because I would appreciate it so much more after reading this book!

I did buy a poster and it hangs in my bedroom where I can look at it last thing before going to sleep and first thing upon waking up.

Isn't it stunning? 
And since Google and the internet make it easy to find just about anything you want, I found a website for the exhibit so I can go back relive it a bit.  I wonder if Mr. McCullough saw this exhibit and thought "Hmmmm.... I bet I could write a book about this."  More likely, he was already at work on this chef d'oeuvre. 
As Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the Boston MFA, said about the Americans in Paris exhibit--
"Americans in Paris presents a captivating picture of a city that is as alluring today as it was to American artists over 100 years ago."
If you love Paris as much as I do, this is a must-read.  Maybe Santa will leave it under the tree for you, if you ask nicely.

Bon appétit, M. David McCullough et merci beaucoup!  Vous adorez Paris aussi, n'est-ce pas?

2011 Twelve Days of a Durham Christmas

We haven't put up our 2011 tree yet (that's for later today!), so I went back in time and found the tree from 2008.  I had just returned from The Sabbatical.  Yes, on December 15 it will be three years since I came back.  Wow.  It's a blurry photo, but I love it.  Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care and there are a few gifts under the tree. (There won't be any gifts under the tree later today because I have not even started shopping.  That's okay.  It will all get done.)
A week or so ago, inspiration hit and I wrote a poem/song about some of my favorite Durham things.  I learned a bit in the process.  The Twelve Days of Christmas begins December 25 and ends on the eve of January 5.  January 6 is Epiphany, when the wise men made it to the baby Jesus with their gifts.  That's the day for eating a King's Cake.  These traditions were brought over from Europe when our country was settled back in the day.  (Such precise history information here...)
The Twelve Days of Christmas song is an English Christmas carol first published in 1780.  But my research (thanks to wikipedia, as always) shows that this song is French in origin.  Oui, c'est vrai.  I do plan to ask my Frenchie friends if they ever actually sing it or even know it.  It is called La foi de la loi and the gifts are... yes, you guessed it, food items (well, most of them are).  Here's the sequence: 
a good stuffing without bones, two breasts of veal, three joints of beef,  four pigs' trotters, five legs of mutton, six partridges with cabbage, seven spitted rabbits, eights plates of salad, nine dishes for a chapter of canons, ten full casks, eleven beautiful full-breasted maidens, and twelve musketeers with their swords.
There are many, many versions of this song here in the US, from Jeff Foxworthy's redneck version (featuring hunting dogs, flannel shirts, and Spam) to Sesame Street's song, which includes three French friends.
If you are not familiar with the American/English version, here's the sequence I learned:
a partridge in a pear tree, two turtledoves, three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings, six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords a-leaping, eleven pipers piping, and twelve drummers drumming.

And finally, here is my version:

2011 Twelve Days of A Durham Christmas

On the First day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

A TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Two DPAC season tickets and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Five Bull City burgers, four Vin Rouge dinners, three Elodie Farms cheeses, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Six Friday nights at Alivia's, five Bull City burgers, four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Seven Dolly Mama chocolates, six Friday nights at Alivia's, five Bull City burgers, four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Eight Carolina Theatre movie passes, seven Dolly Mama chocolates, six Friday nights at Alivia's, five Bull City burgers, four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Nine Foster's coffee refills, eight Carolina Theatre movie passes, seven Dolly Mama chocolates, six Friday nights at Alivia's, five Bull City burgers, four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Ten Farmers' Market visits, nine Foster's coffee refills, eight Carolina Theatre movie passes, seven Dolly Mama chocolates, six Friday nights at Alivia's, five Bull City burgers, four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season passes, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Eleven Wine Authorities tastings, ten Farmers' Market visits, nine Foster's coffee refills, eight Carolina Theatre movie passes, seven Dolly Mama chocolates, six Friday nights at Alivia's, five Bull City burgers, four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

On the Twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Twelve Durham Bulls baseball games, eleven Wine Authorities tastings, ten Farmers' Market visits, nine Foster's coffee refills, eight Carolina Theatre movie passes, seven Dolly Mama chocolates, six Friday nights at Alivia's, five Bull City burgers, four Elodie Farms cheeses, three Vin Rouge dinners, two DPAC season tickets, and a TROSA Christmas tree.

I will leave you with John Denver and The Muppets performing The Twelve Days of Christmas.  If this doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, you may be hopeless!

Bon appétit, Durham, and Joyeux Noël!

Cranberries

Aren't they lovely?  Little, red, perfect.  They just scream Thanksgiving and fall.  For the past ten days, I've been on a cranberry cooking spree.  First came the cranberry-orange sauce for Thanksgiving day--

Sadly, none of the eaters tried it...  I had it all to myself. 
Next up was cranberry orzo salad (thanks to Lisa at Pickles and Cheese)--

I can't believe that I've never cooked orzo pasta before.  I didn't even know it was pasta.  I stood in the rice aisle at Harris Teeter looking over every single box and package before I decided to try the rice section.  Et voilà!
And last, but not least, cranberry muffins for the Ex-Ex's Sunday breakfast--

Pretty darned good, if I do say so myself.  And I do!


Cranberry-Orange Sauce
from All-Time Best Holiday Recipes by the editors of Cook's Illustrated
makes 2 1/4 cups

The cooking time in this recipe is intended for fresh berries.  If you've got frozen cranberries, do not defrost them before use; just pick through them and add about 2 minutes to the simmering time.  And, if you just want the cranberries, not the orange, just leave out the zest and orange liqueur.
The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

1 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
12 ounces (3 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 Tbsp. grated orange zest
2 Tbsp. orange liqueur (such as Triple Sec or Grand Marnier)

Bring sugar, water, orange zest, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.  Stir in cranberries; return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium; simmer until saucy, slightly thickened, and about two-thirds of berries have popped open, about 5 minutes.  Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur.  Transfer to bowl, let cool to room temperature, and serve.

Cranberry Pecan Orzo Salad with Chives

1 16-oz. package of orzo pasta
1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. dried cranberries, chopped into small pieces
1/2 c. toasted pecans, chopped into small pieces
1 bunch chives
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Feta cheese, crumbled, if desired

Prepare the orzo according to directions on the package (cook for 8 minutes for al dente pasta).  While the orzo is cooking, chop up cranberries and pecans.  (Toast the pecans in a pan, stirring frequently, or in the oven at 350˚F on a foil-lined cookie sheet for about 12 minutes.  Be careful not to burn them.)
Drain the orzo and move to a large mixing bowl.  Add the cranberries and pecans.  Add olive oil and mix well.  Add balsamic vinegar and mix well.  Snip chives with kitchen shears and add to salad.  Add feta cheese, if desired.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.


Cranberry Muffins
makes 12

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. cooking oil
1 c. cranberries (I used dried; if using fresh, coarsely chop and add 2 additional tablespoons of sugar to recipe)

Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.
In another bowl, combine, egg, milk, and oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).
Fold in cranberries.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.  Bake in 400˚F oven for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove from muffin cups; serve warm.

Bon appétit, little red berries!

Nutella cookies

I have had a partial jar of Nutella in my cupboard, left over from a crêpe-making class with my 8th graders.  It just seems seemed to sit in there, calling out, begging to be eaten or made into something.  So, when the baking bug hit a couple of nights ago I was ready and armed with a new cookie recipe.
If you aren't acquainted with Nutella and love chocolate and hazelnuts, what are you waiting for?  I discovered it in France years ago and it is now available in most grocery stores in the U.S.  I get it at Target (pronounced Tar-zhay) and Food Lion.  It spreads like peanut butter and is popular in France as an after school snack (le goûter) slathered on a baguette and on warm crêpes.

This year, one of my advisees often brings a Nutella sandwich for lunch, heats it up just a tiny bit in the microwave, and fills the room with the wonderful smell.  I have decided that a taste-test is in order.  When I am in France next month (!!!), I will buy a jar made in Europe and then we will see if the American-made version tastes the same.  Such research must be conducted at times, you know.  Every year, some of my 8th graders bring it home from our trip, but I doubt they are conducting scientific experiments and taste-tests.

They are, most likely, simply devouring it.

Unless they drop their jar on the sidewalk...

What a sad, sad sight.
A new recipe magazine came in the mail with, lo and behold, a Nutella cookie recipe.  I put the butter and the egg on the counter to come to room temperature and put Mildred to work.

Et voilà!  A new favorite cookie recipe is all mine!

Many thanks to Cooking Club of America magazine and A.M. Donovan of Kuna, Idaho for the recipe.  Bake on!

Peanut Butter-Nutella Crinkles
makes about 3 dozen

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar, divided
3/4 c. Nutella
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl until combined.  Beat 1/2 cup of the sugar, Nutella, butter, and peanut butter in large bowl at medium speed 2 minutes or until creamy.  Beat in egg and vanilla 30 seconds or until combined.  At low speed, beat in flour mixture 30 seconds or until blended.
Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in small bowl.  Roll 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie into ball; roll in sugar to coat.  Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet; slightly flatten.  Freeze 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 350˚F.  Bake cookies 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on pan on wire rack 2 minutes.  Place cookies on rack; cool completely (Sabbatical chef note:  Or eat one warm, right off the pan!!).

Bon appétit, Nutella!
Merci beaucoup to Celia and Maggie for the photos!!