February is my least favorite month for cooking.  Oh sure, there is plenty of chocolate for Valentine’s Day, and little else to do besides putter in the kitchen all month.  Even so, every year, right about the middle of February, I lose steam.  With minimal produce for inspiration, and the holiday festivities a faded memory, I cave to take-out and frozen pizza more often than I’d like to admit. 

Do the winter blues hit you too?

As I sit here wishing for spring, planning my vegetable garden and dreaming of tiny strawberries, I’m attempting to jump start spring with a round of spring cleaning.  Today we tackled the basement and the kitchen cabinets.  And do you know what I found lurking at the back of my pantry?  A can of pumpkin.  It may not be a farmer’s market basket, but this vitamin-filled little can really jazzed up our quick winter supper.

You already know about my love of pumpkin.  Layered in a yogurt parfait, swirled into oatmeal, stuffed in ravioli, or baked in a cupcake, you really can’t go wrong with canned pumpkin. The slightly sweet earthy pumpkin works wonderfully with the salty tang of the feta and the nutty flavor of the swiss chard in this simple tart. A sliver of this tart would probably be a very nice appetizer for a fancy dinner party, but a big wedge also works well as a main course served with a big arugula salad dressed in good olive oil and lemon juice.

I like this Easy Olive Oil Tart Crust recipe from the wonderful Chocolate & Zucchini but you can use any tart crust you like.  You could even use refrigerated pie crust dough here and I’m sure the tart would still turn out wonderfully.  I do think that a good tart pan, with a removable bottom, is pretty important, though.  Before investing in a tart pan (really, not a very big expenditure) I made many mediocre tarts in a pie plate.  The too-deep, flat sides of the pie dish result in a soggy crust, and an unpleasant filling-to-crust ratio.  If you don’t have a tart pan, you might be better off making a rustic crostada – just roll out the dough on a baking sheet, spread the filling in the middle, leaving a two-inch border.  Fold the crust edges into the middle, brush with a bit of oil, and bake until golden.

Pumpkin Feta Tart

Serves 6 (as a main course)

1 recipe of tart crust dough 

3/4 cup thinly sliced onion

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced fresh swiss chard

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 cups canned pumpkin

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Carefully press the crust into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.  Saute the onion in oil over medium heat until soft and just beginning to darken. Add in the swiss chard and cook 1 minute more. Season liberally with salt and pepper and stir in the rosemary.  Remove from the heat.  In a medium sized bowl, stir the pumpkin and the eggs well to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove the crust from the refrigerator.  Spread the pumpkin mixture evenly in the crust.  Sprinkle the swiss chard mixture evenly over the pumpkin mixture and top with the feta cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature.

I’d venture a guess that television sales soar on the day before the Superbowl.  This year, we did our part to propel retail sales, and this afternoon, our new 42 inch flat screen was erected in its place of honor in the living room.  With friends coming over, the Patriots playing, and a fancy new tv to boot, I figured I had better step up my game in the kitchen this year.

I adore football food.  We’ve covered my obsession with Superbowl snacks before.  Last year, I made four varieties of gourmet pigs in a blanket and mac ‘n beer cheese soup. But this year I decided to go old school with BBQ turkey burger sliders and sweet potato fries.  Simple, crowd pleasing snacks – but missing something.  A sweet, creamy something.

We have a number of new, trendy burger joints in town.  I adore each and every one.  Juicy burgers, crispy french fries, and sweet, creamy milkshakes.  My favorite local burger spot has started making spiked milkshakes, and they are fantastic.  It didn’t take long for us to realize that we could make our own spiked milkshakes at home.  Of course, for Superbowl Sunday I like everything to be finger food, bite sized and easy to grab from the coffee table.  Which, for milkshakes, translates to spiked shake shots. 

Nothing could be easier – just whir ice cream, milk, liqueurs, and chocolate sauce in the blender and pour into cute shot glasses.  Add a straw (bottom cut off), and a little fruit for garnish, if you like.  These raspberry chocolate shake shots are my favorite, but you could do almost any flavor.  An orange creamsicle shake, made with Grand Marnier, would be lovely.  I dream of a caramel apple shake made with dulce de leche ice cream, apple liqueur and a drizzle of caramel sauce. And we’ve enjoyed a wonderful mocha shake with Kahlua and Godiva liqueur.  The possibilities are endless.

Enjoy the big game!

Spiked Raspberry Chocolate Milkshake Shots

Makes about 8 shots

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup milk

1 ounce Chambord (or other raspberry liqueur)

1/2 ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur (or other chocolate liqueur)

1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

frozen raspberries, for garnish

In a blander, combine all ingredients except the raspberries.  Whir until smooth and spoon carefully into shot glasses.  Garnish with raspberries and serve with straws with the bottoms cut short.

Sometimes, when it snows, I crave warm, comforting winter foods.  Spicy soups, hearty stews, cheesy quiches, and yes, syrup-drenched pancakes.  Other times, mid-snow storm, I’ll find myself with a hankering for summer sweetness.  I’ve been known to bake up a batch of blueberry corn muffins in a blizzard, and always keep a pint of strawberry ice cream in the freezer for snow days.

I spent the last week in Florida for work, and came home yesterday to this winter wonderland. Sweet, juicy oranges and pretty pink grapefruits were everywhere in Florida. So, of course, I stuffed a few in my suitcase. I’m glad I did because as soon as I got home, I was craving the sunny, bright orange flavor. But, as expected, I was also in the mood for a hearty winter breakfast.

These orange quinoa pancakes fit the bill. They are both sweet and nutty. The hearty texture fills my belly and fortifies me against January weather, while the light orange flavor gives me hope that summer is out there, months away, but out there – eventually. Full of protein, fiber and vitamin C, these delicious little pancakes provide enough power to propel me through shovelling the driveway.  (OK, actually, Jeff does most of the shovelling around here, but after a few pancakes, I certainly could get out there and clear the sidewalks!)

I love quinoa, and often cook up a big batch all at once.  Leftover cooked quinoa is great in pancakes, of course, but also adds bulk to salads, makes for a tasty omelet filling, and is delicious as a breakfast porridge when heated with a bit of milk and honey. You could certainly play around with the flavors here, and other fruits as well.  Adding some banana slices and a handful of raisins to the pancake batter would be yummy. But for today, I’m all about the Florida citrus! These pancakes don’t have much sugar, but if your oranges are good and sweet, just a tiny drizzle of honey is all it should take. 

Orange Quinoa Pancakes

Serves 4

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (plus extra for the pan)

1 egg

1 cup cooked quinoa

2 large oranges

2 tablespoons honey

Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon.  In another bowl, wisk together the milk, oil and egg.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, and stir in the quinoa.  Zest both of the oranges, avoiding the white pith, and add the orange zest to the batter.  Set the batter aside and let it rest for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, peel the remaining pith from the oranges, and cut the orange segments between the membranes, into little slices. Drizzle the orange segments with the honey and set aside. Heat a greased nonstick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat.  Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into the heated greased pan and cook until the edges firm.  Flip and cook another two minutes until golden. Continue to cook the pancakes in batches.  Serve warm topped with the orange and honey mixture.

Let me start out by saying that this is not a vegetarian black bean soup.  There are a lot of wonderful vegetarian black bean soup recipes out there, but this is not one of them.  This soup is rich, intense, and full of meaty flavor. So full of flavor, in fact, that it really needs no adornment. I top most black bean soups with a sprinkle of feta, a wedge of lime, a dollop or sour cream, a drizzle of chili oil, or a handful of red onion. But with this soup, even a sprig of parsley is really overkill. 

The key to building rich and meaty flavor is using both the capocollo and the beef stock.  If you don’t have capocollo, which is cured pork shoulder or neck, proscuitto will work as well.  Really good beef stock is essential here.  Actually, I kind of think it’s always essential.  The stuff from a can is pretty much salty water – better to use water.  But home made stock is not always an option.  A number of local markets in my area sell house made stock, which is wonderful.  It’s usually found in the freezer area and makes all the difference in the world when you don’t have time to make a batch of your own.  In a pinch, high quality soup base works too (I’ve used Penzeys with good results).

As for the beans, canned or dried – both work great.  In terms of taste, and even texture, I think the difference between canned beans and cooked dried beans is minimal.  But dried beans are incredibly economical, and also have much less sodium than the canned varieties, so I like to cook up a big batch and use them to make hearty soups, main-dish salads, flavorful dips and even filled omelets.   To cook most kinds of dried beans, rise and then soak in water overnight.  Then drain, add new water, and boil until tender.  The beans will keep for a few days, even up to a week, in the fridge.  My friend Julie even cooks and then freezes batches of beans, but I have to admit that I have yet to try freezing, although it does sound wonderfully convenient.

All of that is to say that this can be a great, quick, weeknight meal.  A few cans of beans and a bit of gourmet store-bought stock and you have dinner on the table.  Or, you can take your time.  Cook up a big batch of black beans, make your own stock from scratch.  Either way, the results will be fantastically tasty!  And this soup reheats well – that is, if you have any leftover.

Black Bean Soup

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 ounces capocollo, chopped

1 cup tomato puree

4 cups cooked (or canned and rinsed) black beans

5 cups beef stock

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot. Add the onion and carrot and saute over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the pepper, garlic and capocollo and continue to cook, stirring, until the capocollo starts to brown, about 10 minutes more. Add the tomato puree and reduce the heat to medium low.  Stir in the beans and the stock.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Transfer two cups of the soup to a food processor and puree.  Return the puree to the soup pot and stir well to combine.  If you like your soup smoother, puree more than two cups. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve hot.

So it should come as no surprise that I have habitually written down my New Years Resolutions. Some years it’s just one or two goals, other years it’s a whole pile of them.  But this year is different.  This year, I’m content to be just the way I am.  So while I would love to lose those last 10 pounds, spend more time volunteering,  reconnect with old friends, and start to compost, none of those things are as important as being grateful for my life just as it is.

So in the absence of New Years Resolutions, my list-making self will just share with you my latest to-do list.  It’s really a to-make list.  It’s a list of those recipes I’ve been meaning to prepare, the ones I’ve bookmarked and remembered and forgotten and remembered again. My to-make list is actually miles long, but since my neurotic color-coding methodology would probably make your head spin, I’ll just share with you my top ten must-make totally-craving have-to-try recipes for the new year.

I’ve always loved Muhammara, a zesty, rich pepper-filled spread. This version from Taste of Beirut has been on my to-make list far too long. I just adore the idea of scooping it up with french fries like ketchup!

I’ve never baked with avocados, but I’m so drawn to the simplicity of this green-tinged Avocado Pound Cake  from Joy the Baker.

I know that Hanukkah is over, but I’m still in brisket mode. I love brisket. And I love rhubarb. But Brisket with Rhubarb and Honey?  Why not? Sounds like a brilliant pairing from Sassy Radish. And luckily, I still have a whole bag of rhubarb in my freezer from when I went on a rhubarb picking binge in June.

Sriracha Popcorn  from A Nutritionist Eats.  Simple. Spicy. Brilliant. ‘Nuff said.

I am addicted to Brussels sprouts and can’t wait to make these Roasted Brussels Spouts with Grapes and Thyme  from Weave a Thousand Flavors.  Earthy veggie, sweet fruit, fragrant herbs – sounds fantastic!

Sometimes indulgent needs to meet healthy, like with Scandi Foodie’s Brown Rice and Fig Tartlets. 

Rambling Tart’s Danish Puff  looks so indulgent and homey.  I can’t wait to enjoy with a cup of hot coffee!

I’ve been on the lookout for fun ways to use my slow cooker and this Slow Cooked Apple Butter from SkinnyTaste looks wonderful, and probably makes the house smell even better.

Aren’t these Spaghetti Nests from Angie’s Recipes adorable?

I love soda bread and have been eying this Oat Soda Bread from 101Cookbooks for months. I’ve been into herb butters lately, and this bread seems like the perfect vehicle for a big old pat of lovely butter.

Christmas still baffles me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas.  Decorating the tree, munching on sugar cookies, hanging out with the family. But not having grown up celebrating Christmas, I will never understand why a day-long holiday manages to last a whole season.  Or why perfectly normal radio stations play painfully festive music nonstop.  Or why some people wait until December 24th to shop for presents.

Elbowing and shoving my way through the mall does not sound like fun to me.  I’d much rather make chai. 

I saw this idea last week at The Kitchn and have been playing with spice variations since.  This recipe is quite flexible, so you can adjust it to your taste. The recipe below is the version I’m enjoying now, but it would be nice with a bit of ground ginger, or some cloves too. The basic idea is so simple, and the ingredients are so common you may even have them in your kitchen right now. Just stir together sweetened condensed milk and spices, and you have chai concentrate.  I was surprised at how a spoonful of this concentrate can transform an ordinary cup of tea into something creamy and fragrant.  Just spoon into a jar, tie with a ribbon, and you have an instant holiday gift.

There is really nothing authentic about this recipe, but it certainly is innovative.  And delicious.  I’ve always been a chai tea fan, but being able to enjoy a decadent, cozy cup of spiced tea anytime is fantastic.  I even brought a little jar of chai concentrate to work this week to stir into my black tea.  I like Darjeeling tea best, but use what you enjoy.  And it’s actually pretty wonderful stirred into coffee too!

Chai Concentrate

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Stir all ingredients together and transfer to an attractive jar.  Store in the refrigerator (it will last a few months).  To serve, stir a spoonful (or more to taste) into a cup of brewed black tea.

I did a little happy dance this week when I found meyer lemons on sale at Whole Foods.  I’m not kidding, I really did jump around and wiggle a bit – until I realized that my husband was pretending not to know me. 

When I got home with a few dozen meyer lemons, it occurred to me that I had no plan for what to DO with them.  I made a lovely, simple arugula and pine nut salad dressed with meyer lemon juice and olive oil.  I added a hefty sprinkle of meyer lemon zest to a bowl of wild rice. Then I thought about making sorbet, but realized I had no room in my freezer. And yesterday, I suggested lemon chiffon pie, to which my husband turned up his nose.  

So this afternoon, with a pile of meyer lemons, and a desperate desire to avoid the mall, I decided to experiment with making meyer lemon marmalade as a Hanukkah gift for my step-dad.  My step-dad has a thing for lemons in any form, and at any given time may have three or four open jars of marmalade in the fridge.   A match made in heaven! 

I’ve never had much luck with marmalade before.  Typically, marmalade requires boiling the peel of the fruit and discarding the boiling liquid multiple times before combining the pre-boiled peel with the juice, pulp, water and sugar to cook.  This process is, frankly, a pain in the butt.  I get impatient.  I skip a boiling step.  My marmalade tastes so bitter you may as well spread some soap on your toast.

But meyer lemons are different.  These bright yellow beauties are sweeter and have a thinner peel than your typical grocery store lemons, thinner, in fact, than most citrus fruits.  With minimal pith, the meyer lemon as a whole is less bitter.  Plus, that thin peel cooks quickly, making the extra boiling steps unnecessary in this marmalade.  That’s not to say that this marmalade is all sweetness and no bitterness.  Not at all.  I think the balance here is quite lovely.  But be warned; this is a true marmalade, as bitter as it is sweet.

This marmalade makes a pretty gift for the lemon-lovers in your life.  It’s a great holiday hostess gift, and would be a wonderful addition to a holiday brunch spread.  I happen to like it best with whipped cream cheese on pumpernickel toast.  It would also be nice as a topping for buttermilk pancakes, or stirred into oatmeal along with some sweetened dried cranberries.  Or, if you want to get all fancy, serve it with clotted cream and fresh baked scones.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Makes about 2 cups

6 meyer lemons

2 cups water

1 1/2  cups sugar

Rinse the lemons.  Slice them very thinly with a sharp knife, and discard any seeds.  Very thinly slice the 12 end pieces and then quarter each of the center slices. Transfer the sliced lemons and any accumulated juices to a medium saucepan.  Add the water and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes. Stir in the sugar and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves, about a minute.  Then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring every so often, for about 30 minutes.  Toward the end of the cooking time, keep a close watch on the marmalade.  It is done when a dollop placed on a very cold plate (stick a plate in the freezer for this) gels and holds its shape.  If it is runny, continue to cook for a minute or two more and try the cold plate test again.  Spoon the marmalade into jars and either refrigerate or process in boiling water for 10 minutes to preserve.

You know what’s wrong with pork chops?  Well, for most people, absolutely nothing.  They are juicy, tasty, and quick to cook.  What could be wrong? 

Here’s what’s wrong: they are ugly. You’ve probably never noticed, but pork chops aren’t the most photogenic subjects.  So I’m attempting to distract you with some beautifully bright green veggies – look at the shiny emerald objects! Is it working? Probably not.  And that’s fine, because ugly or not, these pork chops are fantastic. 

These quick and flavorful pork chops are a perfect weeknight dinner, but they are exciting enough to serve to company, and also make for fantastic leftovers.  Reheated, sliced and tossed with some rice and steamed veggies, they may be even be better the next day. Of course, they are awfully tasty straight from the oven, served alongside some sauteed sesame-sprinkled green beans.

If you haven’t use it before, don’t let miso paste scare you.  It is lovely, salty, earthy, and intense – not to mention healthy! Miso is fermented soybeans (sometimes with rice or barley as well), and generally sold as a paste.  There are many varieties of miso, but I’ve found white and red miso paste are most common in my local grocery stores. In general, the deeper the color, the more intense the flavor of the miso paste.  I threw together this recipe to use up the remnants of a tub of miso paste, and have used up another tub of miso paste making it again and again. But if you find yourself with some extra miso and need some inspiration, check out this recipe for saucy soba noodles with ground pork: Pork Noodles. 

Miso Pork Chops

Serves 4

3 tablespoons red miso paste

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons sriracha (chili sauce)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

4  boneless center cut pork chops (each about 1 inch thick)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Wisk together the miso paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha, ginger, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of oil.  Arrange the pork chops in a shallow dish and drizzle with the marinade, turning to coat both sides.  Cover and  marinate for 20-30 minutes. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with the remaining oil. Arrange the pork chops on the baking sheet (they should be well coated with marinade; discard any excess marinade) and bake for 15-20 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook, but do cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.  Serve right away.

Most people would probably disagree, but I think the best part of cheesecake is the crust.  I love that graham cracker crumbly deliciousness. The cheesecake part of cheesecake is growing on me, but for many years I considered it an over-rated dessert.  Somewhat plain, not quite worth the calories. And frankly, plain old New York cheesecake still doesn’t do much for me.

But smooth, sweet silky maple cheesecake is a whole different story. 

Maple syrup screams holiday season to me, and it makes everything feel more festive.  We devoured this whole cake at Thanksgiving (which means I still have a ton of leftover pumpkin pie – anyone have any fun ideas for what to do with half a leftover pie?) and I plan to make it again for Christmas.  With a subtle maple syrup flavor in the cake, and a more intense punch of maple syrup in the crust, this cake blew away the rest of our dessert spread. It’s smoother than a traditional New York cheesecake, a truly decadent texture. And you know what?  You don’t really have to wait for a holiday to make this cheesecake.  There is nothing wrong with cheesecake on a Tuesday.

Maple Cheesecake

Serves 10-12

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

3  cups graham cracker crumbs

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter

1 1/2 cups maple syrup, divided

24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Candied Cranberries for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, grind the nuts until well chopped, but not a paste. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, nuts, melted butter, and half a cup of maple syrup.  Press the mixture evenly into a 10-inch springform pan and wrap the bottom of the pan with two layers of foil to prevent leaks.

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy.  Add the sour cream and beat until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla and beat well, scraping down the edges of the bowl. Fold in the remaining cup of maple syrup. Carefully pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes until golden on top.  The cake will not be set, but will set as it cools.  Chill the cake overnight before unmolding and serving.  Top with a handful of candied cranberries, if desired.

I don’t really like traditional Thanksgiving sides. 

Actually, it’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I don’t love them.  And I want to love them. I feel like I’m supposed to swoon over mashed potatoes, but I find most versions kind of boring.  And stuffing? Um, it’s mushy bread. 

But I do love Thanksgiving. I love curling up on the couch with a big mug of coffee to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I love spending the afternoon in the kitchen with my family.  I love lingering around the table. And Thanksgiving isn’t really about the turkey anyway, it’s about family and friends.  I know I’ve harped a lot lately on the concept of good living, but I promise this is the last time.

There’s a moment, after the pumpkin pie, when the whole family is full and happy and laughing. To me, that moment is truly the height of good living. As I mentioned before, the folks at Fage (makers of yummy Greek yogurt)  have asked a few of us food bloggers to weigh in on what makes for good living.  And while I’d gladly trade lumpy mashed potatoes and chilly New England weather for crispy spanakopita and Mediterranean sunshine, we can live the good life right here in Connecticut too. Whether corn bread stuffing makes you drool or not, be sure to savor all of the good moments this week!

And should you like some inspiration for deviating from the usual green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole, one of the following recipes might make a fun addition to your Thanksgiving line up.

New England Noodle Kugel

Sweet Potato and Gorgonzola Gnocchi

Roasted Onion Barley Risotto

Chestnut, Gorgonzola and Apple Tart

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway