Comfort Foods and Indulgences

For many years, we had always hosted the neighborhood Halloween Party. On the night of Halloween, everyone showed up in costume attire to chow down on big vats of homemade chili, corn muffins, and slaw or large trays of baked ziti, Caesar salad, garlic balls, and some sort of festive cocktail. It really depended upon my mood and how many were expected to show up.

One year, a friend of mine brought over a huge tray with a pumpkin like cake on it. I couldn’t figure out what it was. A layer of pumpkin like mousse atop some sort of crust over a sprinkling of pecans.

I took one bite and I was addicted. I can’t really call it a cake, even though it is made with a cake mix. It is kind of like a pie, but not really. Her mom called it “Pumpkin Delight” and I have to say, it is delightful. For years, I followed the recipe. Would never have thought to have changed it. But with me being conscious about what I put in the food that I make, thus what ultimately goes into my kids bodies, I decided to test this recipe using more whole ingredients.

I always have leftover bread.  Challah, french bread, sour dough.  Generally, I make bread crumbs.  But my freezer is full of bread crumbs.  So, I am forced to cook and create. With all the rain we have been having, I am happily staying indoors.  The weekends can sometimes be filled with way too many commitments.  However, this past weekend, it was lazy days, matinees, board games, and lots and lots of cooking.

A big pot (a triple recipe) of my bolognese simmers on the stove, scones are flash freezing in the freezer(the perfect school day breakfast), carrot soup is pureed for a quick weekday lunch, and this baked french toast sends the smells of morning wafting though out my home.

When making a baked french toast, it is usually best to soak it ahead (overnight), similar to a bread pudding. But, Eli’s early morning request didn’t allow me to prepare.  Instead, I assembled the casserole, covered it with plastic wrap, and let sit in the fridge for an hour.  

Snickerdoodles are a New England favorite, but the exact origin of the cookie seems to be a mystery. The Joy of Cooking claims that Snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word Schneckennudeln, which means "snail dumpling.

A different author suggests that the word "snicker" comes from the Dutch word snekrad, or the German word Schnecke, which both describe a snail-like shape. Whatever the origin, they are a delicious cookie with crisp edges and soft and chewy centers with a lovely buttery sweet cinnamon flavor.

True confession…I’m not a huge red sauce fan, but I do love pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, etc…just with downplayed marinara and jazzed up cream sauce or cheese. A quick meal for two, this pizza can be doubled for a group or shared easily betwixt a couple folks. Paired with a good wine, this made a fine little supper. With a white pizza, I chose a white wine, Macon-Villages Chardonnay, which paired wonderfully with the pizza (said wine has been reviewed well with cheeses and cream dishes…this pizza vouched for that!).

Simple yet rustically elegant, this little meal came together in a flash. Good ingredients, fresh herbs, and an infused olive layered upon a crispy crust hit the spot. Since I always have rosemary and parsley on hand, they were the top candidates for this pizza. The latter herb is highly underrated – parsley has a wonderfully unsullied flavor and tastes somewhat like it looks… green, crisp, and fresh.

The bakery section of my grocery store has pizza dough for sale and it’s delicious. This dough is one I say to cheat with, since they’ve already made it and it’s just waiting for you to bake it. The canned versions aren’t bad either.