Comfort Foods and Indulgences

It's time to pull out the grill! The official start of grilling season is this Memorial weekend. The weather is finally warm, making it the perfect occasion for a large celebratory gathering. And what would a backyard barbecue be without the ubiquitous burger? After all burgers are part of the American tradition. They're easy to make, relatively inexpensive, and easily please a crowd of family and friends.

Everyone knows beef burgers, but what about lamb burgers? OK, they're not the most traditional for Memorial Day, but they're really good. And who said we can't try something new? I can't forget the famous lamb burger at The Breslin, April Bloomfield's British-style pub. The burger I had there was perfectly cooked and juicy, thick and full of flavor. This burger is my attempt at recreating it at home.

This recipe has a bit of a Mediterranean feel, almost Greek. The lamb burgers are topped with salty feta and tangy pickled red onions. The feta complements the burgers very well, adding a tangy, salty flavor. The onions cut right through the rich flavor of the lamb. I like to serve all my burgers on toasted brioche buns, which absorbs the meat's juices. This is the way to enjoy a burger, pure and simple.

Who ever said children weren't very wise?  My son has figured out how to get what he desires through my cookbooks. After I quickly appeased his request for the Baked Banana Doughnuts, he was obviously back in the same book looking for something else to satisfy his cravings.

I found this note on my desk this morning next to the recipe for these cookies. It cracked me up.  I guess it is one way to get your oatmeal.  He thinks like me. How could I not make them.  He's very lucky I keep a very stocked baking pantry.

They were ready when he came home from school. He was happy. It makes me wonder what will be next. I hope it's lobster.

Thank goodness it's the weekend, I can't be alone in the house with these.

Potatoes are my kryptonite. Those of you who have been reading here for a long time know my love of potatoes. I don't care if they are mashed, baked, fried, hashed...it just doesn't matter. I can't say no to them in any form. I really try to keep my distance from them but they call to me with their siren songs. Ugh.

So what's a girl to do with five russet potatoes sitting on the counter? Cut them into thick wedges and slather them with barbecue sauce...why not. And then eat them one by one until you feel you can't stuff yourself anymore. Rinse. Repeat.

It's not like the fry itself has this overwhelming barbecue sauce flavor, but it ends up having a nice smoky-sweet background taste. So, to really drive home the whole barbecue experience,mix more of the barbecue sauce with sour cream to make a dipping sauce. Yum. 

I love how the barbecue sauce adds a crispiness to the edge of the fries.  Just couldn't stop eating them. Save me from myself.

Make these for your next cook out...you will love!

Cobbler, slump, or grunt; have you heard of these desserts? Most people can recognize a cobbler, a fruit dessert baked in a casserole with a dough topping but with no bottom crust. A slump or grunt is almost the same thing except that they are simmered on the stove, resulting in a steamed dumpling-like top. Supposedly one dessert is named after how the dumplings look (they slump) and the other after the sound the bubbling fruit makes (it grunts). All three are considered New England specialties dating back to Colonial times, when they would have been made in a cast-iron pan over a fire. Luckily we now have the luxury of using a stove or oven.

Many fruits make wonderful cobblers, slumps, or grunts. Apples are very well known in cobblers, but I like mine with stone fruit, especially peaches or plums. Nectarines and cherries, or a combination of all of the above would work extremely well too. Recently I picked up a few pints of very nice red plums at Sherwood Farm in Easton, CT. Lately they have become one of my favorite farm markets selling a little bit of every fruit and vegetable. When I saw those bright red plums, I immediately knew that I was going to make one of these simple and homey desserts.