St. Michael must have been working overtime on March 6th. As the patron saint of grocers, he was busy helping the families of St. Michael the Archangel Regional School get ready for their first annual chili cookoff.

16 families competed for the Best Chili prize at the school, located in Clayton, NJ. In addition to the Best Chili there was also a Best Decorations, Best Mac n Cheese and Best Dessert.

A sense of humor, combined with with a sweet and spicy chili put the Red Hot Red Heads in first place.

One of my favorite chilis of the day was Team Yates. They used New Jersey corn, picked fresh and frozen this past summer. 6 different kinds of peppers gave their chili a bit of a kick while molasses, syrup and brown sugar made for a sweet finish.

Lea’s Ladies was the only veggie chili in the competition thanks to Lea’s vegetarian aunt. To add a bit of heat, Lea used chili powder and canned chipotles.

The Best Decoration prize went to team Happy Hubby. Their chili had a good kick to it and they made the cutest cornbread wedding cake.

Winning the Mac n Cheese division was my favorite entry, Kyle’s Creation. Made by Francynne McKeever, from an old family recipe passed down from her mother, the breadcrumb topping and thick cheese sauce was savory and filling.  Kyle, age 10, said that when he eats it, it makes him think of cheddar. This dish is his favorite because it makes him think of his grandmother. “I’ll cook it for myself when I grow up,” said Kyle.

Even after eating 16 different chilis and 8 mac and cheeses, I still had room for something sweet. Kevin’s favorite entry in the dessert division was Guvera’s Great Cake. It was moist, sweet and chocolate.

My favorite dessert was the competition winner: Nicole from Annalayna’s Sweets with a stunning pizza cake. Seriously. That picture is of a cake.

Students from St. Michael’s helped run the event. Emily (right) and Danielle (left), both 11 years old, served mac n cheese with a smile. Emily preferred the Dipalma’s chili while Danielle was a Yates fan.

According to Principal Bruni, the money raised will go towards future expenditures for the school. Approximately 310 students attend St. Michael’s in grades prek-8.

Lessons Learned:
-I can eat a lot of chili. A LOT. However, no matter how much I eat, Kevin can eat three times as much and not gain weight. It’s just not fair.
-The families at St. Michael’s are all super nice. How can I tell? Their chilis tended to be on the sweet side. No one was there with the 9 alarm chili trying to scorch my mouth. Thanks for saving my palate!
-Pie eating contests are great fun. When the contestents are kids, it’s downright adorable.

Karen Lefebvre-Christou chopped scallions while talking in Greek to her husband Christos. He was working in Paris for the week and a bad Skype connection meant that Karen and her son Alex had to raise their voices to clearly be heard. After disconnecting, Alex worked on peeling cucumbers for our tzatziki while trying to teach me the Greek alphabet.

Born in Syracuse, NY, Karen’s family moved to Huntingdon Valley, PA when she was a baby. While in high school, Karen and her family went on vacation to Greece. They took a small boat around some of the Greek islands. When the boat stopped at Syros, they disembarked to have a look around and by that evening, they had fallen in love with the island.

The next year, her parents bought a bed and breakfast on Syros and Greek culture became a part of Karen’s life. She moved there after college, working at a study abroad program, helping American students assimilate into the Greek lifestyle. That summer, mutual friends introduced her to Christos, her future husband. Karen credits him as the greatest influence on her cooking. “If I hadn’t fallen in love with a Greek man, Greek food would not be the main staple of my repertoire,” she said. While in Greece, Karen found a cookbook that belonged to Christos’ great grandmother. She copied down the recipes and taught herself to cook the food of her husband’s childhood. According to Karen, “Greek cooking is like the Greek culture; very open and yummy.”

As the founder of art2love, Karen works to empower, encourage and elevate children in crisis through art. She started the non-profit because she is passionate about kids’ art and couldn’t charge a fee to parents whose kids have cancer. When her son Alex started drawing, she made her first artling out of his art and never looked back. Since then, she’s done art workshops with children in need throughout the Greater Philadelphia area including homeless shelters and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“I was a sick kid and I knew how it felt to be special because you were sick.” Karen said. She felt drawn to working with sick kids because they are forgotten. At 5 years old, she was in the hospital for a procedure. At night, she was alone and cried. At 12 years old she suffered from toxic shock syndrome. At 20 years old, she had a brain tumor, part of Cushings syndrome. Her brain surgery was the day before her 21^stbirthday. It eradicated the tumor but caused meningitis. Now she has an autoimmune disorder, colitis and celiac disease. “I understand what it is like to be the sickly one and have people see you that way.”

To see Karen now, you would never know she had a history of illness. She vibrantly and enthusiastically commits her time towards her family and running her non-profit. Her philosophy of food represents her perfectly. Her charity is art2love and if her food philosophy had a label, it would be Greek2love. Karen says that food for her is, “an expression of love; a love of the Greek culture and a love of the Greek food. I fell in love with Greek culture, with their openness and hospitality. Greek food isn’t about being complicated or showing off.” Like her art, her love of Greek food and culture is something that comes from inside that she wants to share with everyone.

We started dinner with Dodoni Feta drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano. Karen’s sister in law Candace prepared the feta by pouring a little olive oil on it. Karen laughed, said, “we’re Greek” and took the bottle from Candace so she could pour a generous amount over the cheese. After the feta came the Saganaki (fried cheese) which was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. It was crisp on the outside, gooey inside with a deliciously salty aftertaste.  This was followed by Spanakorizo (spinach and rice), Gigantes (beans) and pitas with Skordalia (garlic potato dip) and Tzatziki (cucumber dip). We were supposed to be eating Mezedes (small plates of food), but everything was so good that I wound up with 2 servings of everything on a very large plate. Karen said the Gigantes taste like home and after eating them, I knew exactly what she meant. A perfect bite is a combination of Gigantes and Feta. The texture of the the smooth, cool feta blended with the warm, slightly chewy beans to produce an incredibly tangy and creamy mixture.
Definitely Greek 2 Love.

Lessons Learned:
-Despite being a proud sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, it turns out that I don’t know the Greek alphabet. I tried to impress Alex with my knowledge of Greek, but he just laughed at me because I grossly mispronounced all of the letters. In my college sorority I learned proper etiquette, lots of songs and how to behave at a fraternity mixer.  Apparently, I wasn’t paying attention the day they taught us the Greek alphabet. Thanks Alex for setting me straight.
-If you are planning to visit Karen, call ahead to make sure it’s Dance Night. I was lucky enough to get there on such a night which meant that after dinner, the lights in the living room were turned down low while Alex played DJ on itunes. Hip hop music filled the room and everyone danced around. Alex is especially good at handstands and will happily show off his skills. I am quite a dancer myself and I’d like to take a moment and brag. . .
-I can still do the running man. This was a great lesson learned. I haven’t forgotten everything from 8th grade! Sure, I can’t remember most of the math from that era, but I can still do an awesome running man and I know every word to the Beastie Boys’ Paul Revere.
-Karen has a cool device for removing garlic peels. I’m scared to do the trick where you lay a knife down on the garlic and then slam your fist down on the side of a knife. Her method is a lot safer. Rolling this little plastic cylinder is the perfect way to get rid of the garlic skins. Also, thanks goes to Candace who gave me my own garlic cylinder for Christmas.
-Did I just say Christmas? Yes. Sadly, I interviewed Karen in late November and it has taken me since then to get this posted. Procrastination lesson learned. I’m trying to post much more frequently this year.
-Most important lesson: art2love is a wonderful charity that does great work. They need people who can sew, help them write grants and get sponsorships. If you have any time or money to volunteer, please contact Karen at klchristou@yahoo.com

Saganaki (Fried Cheese)
Ingredients:
Kefalograviera cheese
Enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan
½ lemon
Directions:
-Turn heat under pan on stove to medium-high
-Cut the cheese into long triangles approximately ½ inch thick
-Fry it in pan until bottom is crunchy brown then flip and fry other side
-Squeeze a little lemon on top
-Serve warm

Spanakorizo (Spinach Rice)
Ingredients:
4-5 scallions chopped up
¾ cup olive oil
1 lb frozen spinach
1 ½ – 2 cups water (enough to almost cover the spinach)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup brown rice (you can use white but Karen prefers brown because it tastes nuttier)
1 cup chopped dill
½ lemon
Directions:
-Saute scallions in the olive oil
-Add the rest of the ingredients and cover
-Cook about 10 minutes or until the rice is done
-Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the rice

Pita bread
Ingredients:
Pocket-less pitas
½ cup of olive oil
1/2 cup Oregano
Directions:
-Lightly brush both sides with olive oil
-Sprinkle oregano over pitas
-Put pitas in pan on medium heat
-Check the bottom to see if the oil has been absorbed. It should now be a golden brown.
-Turn it over and cook the other side as well.
-Serve warm

Gigantes (Giant Lima Beans)
Ingredients:
1 bag Gigantes
1 cup fresh parsley chopped
1 cup large white onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
Salt & Pepper
1 cup olive oil
28 oz canned diced petite tomatoes
1 cup chopped dill
Directions:
-Soak the Gigantes overnight
-Rinse & put them in an ungreased casserole dish, set aside
-Fill pan with ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil and saute parsley, onion and garlic for 5 minutes
-Add a dash of pepper and salt to pan
-Add 28 oz of canned diced petite tomatoes
-Stir ingredients then bring to a boil
-Cover and let simmer for 8-10 minutes
-Pour tomato mixture over beans in casserole dish
-Add ¼ cup olive oil over top
-Add I cup of chopped dill on top
-Bake uncovered at 340 for 40 minutes

Skordalia (Garlic Dip)
Ingredients:
2 small russet potatoes cut into chunks
5 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt (to taste)
Directions:
-Cover potato chunks with water and boil until soft
-Drain water
-Mash potatoes with fork
-Chop 5 garlic cloves and add them in
-Slowly mix in ¼ cup olive oil
-Add 2 tsp red wine vinegar
-Add pinch of salt

Tzatziki
Ingredients:
2 large cucumbers
16 oz sour cream (this recipe usually made with greek yogurt but sour cream is a cheaper ingredient)
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
½ cup chopped dill or more
Directions:
-Remove the seeds and peel 2 large cucumbers then grate them
-Put the grated cucumbers in a strainer and using the back of a spoon, press it against the strainer to remove the water.
-Add 16 oz of sour cream
-Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and add them in
-Mix in 3 Tbs red wine vinegar
-Add ½ cup of chopped dill (According to Karen, when you think you have enough dill, add more).

Danielle Ackerman carefully placed 3 of her flame-topped Spicy Hot Chocolate cupcakes on the judging table and took a seat nearby to watch the festivities. A graphic designer and amateur baker, Danielle hoped to win first prize in the Moorestown Iron Cupcake Challenge.

Bakers from the Greater Philadelphia area gathered at Tortilla Press Cantina in Pennsauken, NJ for the first cupcake challenge of 2010. Each month, the competition features a different secret ingredient. In this case, it was chilis. Organized by Kati Angelini of Kati’s Kupcakes, the contest was well attended with over 150 cupcake fans. A portion of the proceeds of this March gathering will go towards Haitian Relief efforts. Each cupcake challenge features a different charity and past events have supported the Boys and Girls Club of Camden County, the Knight Park Playground Foundation, and the Ronald McDonald House (just to name a few). The 2009 events raised over $3000 for various philanthropies.

Before gorging myself on cupcakes, I sampled the tasty buffet of Mexican food. The pulled pork was awesome, but you know I have a fondness for pulled pork so I’m pretty biased on the subject. Also, as much as I wanted to save room for cupcakes, I couldn’t stop myself from eating all of the sweet mango chicken.

After everyone finished the Mexican food, it was time to meet the judges for the event.

Chef Mark Smith of Tortilla Press Cantina

Liz Rocco of Rocco’s Gourmet Catering

Chio of 96.5 Chio in the Morning

What were the judges looking for in a good cupcake? Liz stressed the importance of a moist cake with soft whipped icing. I second this thought. I could dive into a soft cupcake. I would walk 500 miles for decent icing (which just goes to show you how much I love icing and also 80s music references). Speaking of music, Chio thought the entries were very competitive although he admitted, “I’m a chocolate guy so those did better on my scales.”  But what about the chilis? Were the cupcakes too spicy, I wondered? Mark reported that you could taste the the chilis with a few of the cupcakes and some of them had a real kick. 

Once the judges had their fill, everyone was able to help themselves to cupcakes. Kevin and I ate more than our fair share. At 21 months, Evangeline Weimer enjoyed one of the chocolate cupcakes.

As you can see, the competition was fierce. 

Kids division results:
1st place: Chocolate Chili Chili Cupcakes: Matt Angelini
2nd place: Triple C Chocolate Cupcakes: Alexis Angelini
3rd place: Chili Surprise Cupcakes: Joshuah Pike

Adult division results:
1st place: Dark Chocolate Molten Chili Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting: Nicole Jaconetti
2nd place: Jalepeno Peanut Cupcakes with Spicy Brittle: Joanne DeWald
3rd place: Spicy Hot Chocolate Cupcakes: Danielle Ackerman 

Turns out, contest winner Nicole is a professional baker– you can check her sweets and pastries out here. I’m hoping to schedule an interview so you’ll be able to read her story and recipe here soon. Stay tuned . . .

Lessons learned:
-Kevin can eat 3 more cupcakes than I can and he’ll still want to go out for cannolis afterwards. I’m envious of his metabolism.
-Mexican food + cupcakes is a great combination
-I was nervous before going in to the restaurant. Other than my husband, I didn’t know anyone at the event and I sometimes feel shy. Turns out that people who like cupcakes are really nice and friendly.

As another foot of snow blanketed the Greater Philadelphia area, I made myself a big cup of hot chocolate and took some time to reflect on my New Years resolutions.

–Post more frequently.
Nope. Already broke this one. I think February sets a record for me for the most infrequent postings per month since I started this blog. The good news is that instead of posting, I am now up to date on all 30 Rock episodes.

–Eat healthier (when not eating for Amiable Life).
Nope.  Broke this one many, many times. It seems like I recommit to eating healthy every Monday morning and by Thursday I find myself digging out the frozen peppermint patties from the freezer.

Speaking of unhealthy eating–I recently traveled to NYC for a day-job conference. Best part? The gravlax (and swedish meatballs with lingonberries and excellent service) at Aquavit and the seafood bibimbap in Korea-town.  I’d like to give a shout out to my NYC dining companions: Tess, Jason and my sister Molly. Friends are those people who let you eat the last sweet bite of frozen goat cheese parfait made with blueberry sorbet and passionfruit curd.

–Set up more Amiable Life interviews.
Nope. Not a one. Anyone out there have a family recipe they want to share? Check out my Submit Your Recipe tab.

Lessons learned:
-Sadly, I learned I have an incredible ability to eat a lot and laze about on the couch for hours on end watching tv. Therefore, this section is more like a new resolutions area. So, to my faithful readers (all 6 of you) I promise to:
-post more frequently in March. This shouldn’t be too hard since my Feb numbers were so low.
-eat more healthy and exercise more. This one might be challenging.
-set up more interviews. Have I mentioned my Submit Your Recipe tab?

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’d like to tell you about my first love. Buttercream frosting on hazelnut sponge cake baked by the Swiss Haus. At 2 years old, I fell deeply, madly, passionately in love with my birthday cake and the affair has continued for over 30 plus years. I’ve written about my birthday cake and thanks to Jim Hausman and the staff at the Swiss Haus, this year I got a behind the scenes look at how it’s made.

7am: Donna opened the bakery located at 35 S 19^th Street, Philadelphia and immediately headed to the back of the shop where she was soon joined by Jen, Meala and Heather. Monica walked in and started setting up the front of the bakery. She turned on the refrigerated cases (which have been cleaned and aired out over the weekend) and started the first pot of Hausbrandt coffee.

In the back of the shop, Donna wrote a list of products to be baked that day while Meala placed croissants on baking trays. She covered them with an egg wash to give them a bit of shine. I walked into the back of the bakery, past metal beaters, bigger than my head, hanging from the ceiling to find Jen going through the large refrigerators, throwing out anything not fresh. She unwrapped several hazelnut sponge cakes and prepared them to be frosted. From start to finish, the bakery makes approximately 30 cakes in 2 ½ hours. The cakes are baked and then put in the fridge to chill before being constructed with buttercream and chocolate shavings. Jen is confident in her cake handling. She picked up a cake with her right hand, holding it at a slant to the chocolate-filled container in her left. She flicked her right hand to throw and twist the cake slightly in the air while simultaneously turning it into the chocolate shavings.

Donna finished up her prep list. The bakery goes through four 36lb cases of butter and 150lbs of flour each week. 60 dozen eggs are used per day. Unlike many other bakeries that heat up pre-made bulk purchased cookie dough, this team makes everything from scratch. They all have had years of training and experience. Jen has worked at the bakery for five years and attended the Restaurant School in Philadelphia. Meala went to culinary school in Russia and has been at the bakery for four years. Even Heather who was brought on as seasonal help went to culinary school at Drexel. At almost 16 years, Donna has been at the bakery the longest. Besides being a graduate of the Restaurant School, she also attended the Pastry Arts Center in Elmsford, NY.

35 scoops of cookie dough go on a tray. Another tray full. And another. And another. Donna bagged out oatmeal raisin, milk chocolate tollhouse, chocolate chip gingersnaps and plain gingersnaps. Heather dipped cupcakes into colored jimmies and everyone talked about their weekend plans. The mood is light and friendly.

Jen needed more buttercream for her cakes. I watched as she lifted 50 lbs of ingredients, enough to make 32 gallons of buttercream which during the holiday season, the bakery can go through in one day. I am amazed at her strength. I can barely open a heavy door while Jen (who appears to be a good 4 inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter than me) effortlessly carried around unwieldy boxes of ingredients. Donna admits that she and Jen work out at the gym every day. They both have the kind of well-defined arm muscles that Michelle Obama sports. I’m jealous.

Heather prepared Oreo cupcakes by cutting a cone shape from the top into the center of the cupcake. This inverted wedge is filled with frosting and oreo pieces. Then more frosting is added followed by more oreos. It’s an incredibly decadent treat and at 7:30 in the morning, looked like breakfast to me.

Across the work table, Meala used a spatula to spread vanilla icing on one side of black and white cookies. After the vanilla, she did the same thing to add chocolate on the other half. I always imagined those cookies were dipped, but her way is much easier.

It’s only 8am and I am amazed at how much has been accomplished so far. Donna created a crunchy top on the chocolate chip gingersnaps by dipping them in coarse sugar. Meala arranged the finished black and white cookies on a tray that will go in the display cases in the front of the store. She began to fill éclairs with cream while Heather frosted raspberry chocolate pastries and added chocolate jimmies around the edge. Donna took the cookie trays out of the oven and then loaded it back up with trays of muffins. She flipped up one cookie to check that the bottom was slightly browned and that the cookie wasn’t falling apart. The regular gingersnaps were ready but the rest needed more time so they went back into the oven. When they finished baking, I tried a chocolate chip gingersnap still warm and gooey on the inside. Crystallized sugar on top made a nice crunchy textural compliment to the soft cookie. I could eat these all day.

9am: In the front of the shop, Monica prepared boxes of mixed cookies for a delivery order. Meanwhile, I leaned against a counter in the back and took notes while Meala made hazelnut rolled cakes. She encouraged me to eat a cheese Danish, still warm from the oven. I took two bites of the savory and sweet pastry and then looked up to see everyone watching me. I didn’t want to seem like a pig so I stopped there. Had I been alone, I would have wolfed down the entire thing in under a minute.

10am: Donna added sugar to the batter that will be tiny Danish nut cookies. After they cool, chocolate ganache or raspberry jam will be sandwiched between them. The incredible smell of chocolate chip cookies filled the air. The phone rang. Someone wants “Happy Birthday Tony” written on a cake. A guy came in and requested a 7inch round cake with “Happy Birthday Mommy” written on it. Jen quickly piped both cakes while Donna combined ingredients for pecan logs. A small cloud of flour puffed up as she poured everything into a large mixing bowl. Meala worked on adding ganache to devil’s food chocolate mousse cake slices, I asked everyone, “if there were one baked good at the shop that best represented them, what would it be?” Meala said, “the team here is so nice. It’s like all the pastries. No favorites. They are all good.”

I sat down to chat with bakery owner Jim Hausman. He is the man behind the scenes at this place—smart and handy, he figured out how to fix broken refrigerators, and laid the floor himself. He works the counter, does the bookkeeping, marketing and PR. Jim said, “this place is a great cheap date. You can get a big pastry and 2 cups of coffee for less than $10. There are board games here that people can play: backgammon, chess.” We talked a little bit about the prices of baked goods versus the small income each cookie generates. Before today, I thought fresh baked products were a bit expensive, but now that I have seen how much time and energy is invested into the smallest of cookies, I feel like I’m getting a good deal. Jim agreed, “if people knew what went into the danishes and the amount of time it takes to make one, they would understand the value of the pastry. We roll and butter it three times just to make the dough. Then it’s cut into pieces and twisted and proofed then covered with jam/jelly/cheese before being baked and finally drizzled with apricot glaze and/or chocolate drizzle. It’s incredibly time consuming.”

12pm: Meala cut rum squares and Jen frosted a 12inch round hazelnut cake that will feed 20 people. Heather took a quick lunch break. Please note: Heather’s 15 minute lunch break is the first and only time I saw anyone sit down all day. I exist in an opposite universe at my day job. I spend hours sitting in front of a computer. Observing these strong, hard-working women made me realize how much of a wuss I am.

Donna offered me a Chinese cookie with chocolate jimmies. She made it by smushing out the dough to a circular shape about 10” in diameter then covering it with a layer of chocolate. She folded it, then rolled it into a log, sliced and then baked it. The technique is similar to working with fimo (an arts and crafts plastic-clay). The cookie looked so good that I took a bite before remembering that I am here to photograph and observe, not eat everything in sight (no matter how much I am jonesing for sugar).

1pm: Donna scooped double fudge cookie dough on a tray. They’ll be baked later in the day and then dipped in white chocolate. Heather piped chocolate ganache onto the Danish cookies. These miniature cookies have taken hours just to get to this point. I can’t believe so much time is spent on little cookies. I ate one and as the chocolate burst on my tongue I thought, “oh yeah. That’s what goodness tastes like.” Sweet, nutty, and creamy, the delicate, tiny cookie was gone too quickly. Start to finish, it took about 4 hours to make the cookies and less than 30 seconds for me to eat one.

When the bakery says their stuff is hand-made, they mean it. Jen is literally up to her elbows in sponge cake batter. She mixed it with her hands because the batter is so delicate, using the heavy beater will destroy the lightness. Once the egg whites have been whipped in, the team has to be really gentle with the cake batter.

2pm: Heather added mocha buttercream frosting to the top and sides of small vanilla sponge cakes. Meala transferred the cake squares into white wrappers. Jen unmolded tart shells. Donna rolled out the pecan logs, sliced them with a pizza cutter and put them on trays to be baked and later dipped in chocolate.

3pm: The back of the shop was quiet as people began to wind down. All tools and countertops received one final cleaning. My “shift” is over and I am exhausted. Working here is like running a marathon with several long wind sprints every few miles. It’s as if this team was in Olympic training. They ran and lifted, kneaded and sliced, frosted and decorated for hours. The funny thing is that I seem to be the only one who is tired. Everyone else is in good spirits. It’s clear that they like their jobs and take pride in their work. Passionate about excellence, they labor as a team to produce the best pastries they can. Every single cake, every Danish, every cookie is made with love. Jim summed it up, “I want it to be fun here. I want people to enjoy working here and shopping here. We’re selling happy occasions—opportunities to enjoy life.”

To all of my readers: I want you to experience the awesomeness of this bakery. Go there now and every day after that. (But, if you go on Oct 8^th, please leave one hazelnut buttercream cake for my birthday. I always return to my first love).

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day. Love, Amy

Lessons learned:

-The Swiss Haus bakes their cookies on parchment paper. Why don’t I do this? The cookies slid right off of the paper and then the paper was easily removed from the tray.

-Donna throws flour onto the counter with her right hand, as if she is skipping a stone. She says this motion gives a more even coverage of the flour on the counter. This seems to be a better method then my “dump it in a pile” approach.

-This bakery made so many different items during my visit that I couldn’t write about them in detail all or you would be reading this entry for days. Just to whet your taste buds, I left out: frangipane cake, key lime tarts garnished with toasted coconut, mini strawberry shortcakes chocolate mozarts, tiramisu, mocha cake squares, lemon roulade, chocolate shell cookies dipped in chocolate jimmies, washboard cookies, caramel croquant pastries, and butter cookies

-A few weeks before my visit I couldn’t find gluten free baked goods to take to my friend Karen’s house for dinner. I tried DiBruno Bros and Scoop Deville to no avail. Turns out, the Swiss Haus could have helped. They have gluten free products: peanut butter bars, brownies and a banana loaf and also carry vegan pastries as well: apple turnovers, raspberry horseshoe pastries and apple streudel. Dara—are you reading this? Your vegan story rubbed off on me – in a bakery, surrounded by buttercream, I actually asked about vegan food.

Today was a snow day. A gigantic snow day — up to 3 feet. For some reason, all of the huge snow days this year have fallen on a weekend, thereby ruining my plans.

Kevin and I took the opportunity to break down a chicken and then let it slowly saute with cumin, garlic, onions and cilantro.

Finger-licking chicken for lunch.Then, we sat on the couch, ate cookies covered with homemade vanilla buttercream frosting and watched crappy movies.

My kind of day. I guess being forced to stay indoors isn’t always so bad.

Lessons learned:
-picking movies out at the library on the Friday evening before a major snowstorm results in settling for the best of the worst (which leads me to . . . )
-movies with ‘war’ in the title are usually not happy.
-anything covered in buttercream is delicious

Julia Swirski James-Markowski gently laughed at me as I unsuccessfully tried (again) to remove sticky rectangles of dough from the table and fold them into twisted cookies called Chruscikis aka Polish Bow Tie Cookies. We’re at her youngest son’s Gary’s house in Baltimore and she’s shared a 100 year old recipe that her Polish mother, Michealina brought over on the boat to Ellis Island.

Earlier this afternoon Julia, (known as Gram Julia to her five grandchildren and three great grandchildren), made the dough by creating a well in the flour, putting sugar in it and then mixing the two around. She cracked in 3 eggs, added a large dollop of sour cream, the butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla. She incorporated a shot of Bacardi rum and then stirred until the dough became sticky and a little lumpy. She formed it into a ball and kneaded it for 10-12 minutes, adding more flour to keep it from being too sticky.

Chruscikis are a favorite cookie her mother used to make so as she worked, Julia told me about growing up in Brooklyn. The fourth of six children, Julia had a happy childhood even though her family struggled to make ends meet. When she was younger she promised that when she grew up and made her own money, she would buy anything and everything she wanted. Now at 83 years old, she is a strong, independent woman and a self-proclaimed shopaholic. She buys jewelry, clothing, whatever she wants. She lives with her eldest son, Robert and they enjoy visiting Atlantic City and going out to nice dinners. Julia is living the life she always wanted but it took her a while to get there.

As a counter girl at Nedicks in Manhattan, 17 year old Julia sold oranges and sandwiches to the Wall Street money men. She quickly advanced to sandwich making and then became a manager. In pursuit of a higher salary, she left Nedicks and went to work as a food checker for the New Jersey Central Railroad. For three years she sat in the back of the restaurant and as the food came out of the kitchen, she would write it up on the customer’s check. It was here that she met her first husband, Gilbert James. They married when she was 20 and exactly 9 months and 5 days later she had her first son, Robert. Seven years later she gave birth to her second son, Gary.

Julia’s hands moved quickly as she floured the bowl and then put the dough back in. She tore off a handful of dough and rolled it out until it’s a 10 inch wide circle. The dough is thin and delicate. She cut it into long strips and then cut each strip into smaller 2 ½ to 3 inch rectangles. Each circle of dough produced approximately one dozen rectangles. In the middle of each rectangle, she cut a 1 inch slit, then took the bottom corner of dough and pulled it up and through the slit to form the twisted cookie. Her hands moved quickly, confidently. After completing the first batch, she let me try. This is when my fumble-fingers struggled to lift the rectangles from the table. I tore through the dough, destroying the shape. Gram Julia is compassionate and understanding. She nicely took the dough from me and rolled it out again.

 While rolling the dough, Julia told me about the time she spent working at the Federal Reserve Bank in NYC, first as a punch card operator and later on the check sorting machine. She was a stay-at-home mom in the early 1950s and then in 1955 she took a job with Guarantee Bank (now Morgan Chase). During her 33 year tenure there, she processed checks as a senior clerk and then managed loans.

 Lifting a heavy cast-iron pan she brought from home, and filling it with shortening, Julia discussed her divorce from Gilbert in 1967 and marriage to her second husband Walter. They were married for 25 years and she helped raise his daughter from a previous marriage. She and Walter lived in New Jersey. Speaking of Julia’s home, this might be a good time to mention that not only did Julia bring the pan from her house in New Jersey, she also packed all of the ingredients, the mixing bowls, the table, everything. She is known for her consistent good cooking and wanted the recipe to be perfect-exactly like she makes at home.

 The pan is filled with enough vegetable shortening that the cookies float while frying. A paper towel-lined plate next to the stove, is ready to receive the cookies. Testing the oil, the first cookie doesn’t sizzle because the shortening wasn’t hot enough. By the time she is on the 5^th cookie, it fried up very quickly. Tongs are used to get the cookies in and out of the pan. When the cookies got a little darker around the sides, they were turned over and fried on the other side. The cookies expand while frying, doubling their size. The first few came out very light and Julia said that they are really meant to help color the oil. The flour came off of them and stayed in the oil which darkened it and insured a beautiful golden color for the rest of the cookies. Once the cookies are finished frying, she removed them from the pan and left them to cool on paper-towel-covered plates. After they cool, they are transferred to a large grocery-store brown paper bag for storage.

Gram Julia plated a bunch of cookies and garnished them with a healthy amount of powdered sugar. She advised me to keep the rest stored plain, in the paper bag and then sugar them right before eating. Otherwise, they will absorb the sugar and become too moist. As we work, her sons Gary and Robert play pool in the basement, checking on us frequently, the smell of sugar frying a siren call. Gary told me, “these cookies, they remind me of happy occasions as a family. In our book, this was a sweet treat.” He and Robert sneak a cookie before we’ve finished making the batch. I take one too. It is crunchy and sweet. The taste reminded me of the pizzelle waffle cookies except these are lighter, more delicate. Gram Julia saw my reaction and said, “when I cook, I make it all with love. If you don’t make it with love, it doesn’t come out good.”

Lessons Learned:
-1 jigger = 1 shot glass
-When making the recipe, it’s fun to add one jigger of rum to the dough and then drink 1 jigger. (Note: if you are a lightweight drinker like me, it will not make twisting the cookies any easier).
-I roll dough the same way I roll through life—full force. There is nothing delicate about my approach. And in making these cookies, as with life, sometimes this can cause extra challenges. Learn from my mistakes. When making these cookies, be especially careful with the fragile dough.

Chrusciki Recipe:
(yields 70-90 depending on how thin you roll the dough)

Ingredients:
-2 cups flour (plus a little more as needed)
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3 eggs
-3 Tbsp melted and cooled butter
-1 heaping Tbsp sour cream
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 jigger Rum
-Enough vegetable shortening for frying (approx 2 cups)

 Directions:
-Mix all ingredients above until it forms a sticky dough.
-Flour table and empty bowl of dough onto table.
-Gently knead dough until it is no longer sticky (approx 12 minutes). Add additional flour as needed to reduce the stickiness.
-Tear off a fist full of dough and put the rest back in the bowl covered with a damp towel.
-Roll out the fist full of dough until it is thin but won’t tear. Gram Julia rolls hers out into a circular shape.
-Cut dough into long 1 ½ inch wide strips, then cut vertically into smaller 3 inch pieces.
-Cut an inch long slit in the center of each strip.
-By now, your rolled out and cut dough should resemble the image to the right.
-Pick up a small rectangle of dough. Take the bottom of the dough and fold it up and through the slit so it now drapes over the other side. Do the same with the rest of the cut pieces.
-Roll and cut the rest of the dough until it is ready to be fried.
-Heat up the vegetable shortening in a skillet and make sure it is hot, but not burning.
-Place the twisted cookies in the oil to fry. The thinner the dough, the faster it will fry. It should only take about one minute to fry one side.
-Once the cookie’s edges look golden brown, flip them and let them brown a bit on the other side as well.
-When finished frying, place cookies on paper towel to cool.
-For storage, place 2-3 pieces of paper towel in a brown paper bag and gently put the cookies in there. They should keep fresh for a week (if they don’t get eaten first).
-To sugar: put cookies on a plate and then sprinkle powdered sugar on top of them. Do not put sugar in bag with cookies and shake – the cookies are delicate and will easily break if you do this.

I followed 3 guys wearing Chocolate Thunder jackets through the parking lot and up the stairs of the Atlantic City Convention Center where I was greeted by a 4 ft wide poster featuring a head shot of Mia Michaels, the award-winning choreographer and judge of the hit show, So You Think You Can Dance. In a stroke of genius, the convention center staff had scheduled the 121st Philadelphia National Candy, Gift and Gourmet Show next to a dance conference. Hundreds of incredibly petite young women in leg warmers. I felt a bit sorry for them. They looked hungry and I was on my way to a show with over 90 exhibitors looking to give away things made with sugar.

With so many exhibitors, I would need to pace myself. Just to whet my appetite, I started with a few nibbles of m&ms, and then settled in at a demonstration on how to make Dierich Orde Glass, aka Clear Toy Candies. A Pennsylvania-German tradition, these candies are handed out to children during the holiday season. Made by a team from the Franklin Fountain in Philadelphia, the little light-amber animals are sweet, yet feel sturdy in the palm of my hand. Using an antique copper pot, they heated 6 cups of sugar, 2 cups of corn syrup, 2 cups of water and then poured it into molds. In addition to these candies, the Franklin Fountain is also known for their ice cream. I’m a huge raving fan of their ice cream. It’s one of my favorites in Philly.

I was trying to concentrate on the demonstration, but kept getting distracted by movement in the corner of the room so I wandered over to find students from the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College baking lemon curd muffins. Phil Searles, a student in his third semester at the Academy worked on a rich gooey batter that will become double brownie chocolate chip cookies.

This show is for people in the retail side of the business and is not open to the public which is a shame for my friends because I know several people who would give their 2 front teeth to be in a room filled with as much chocolate as you can eat. There were samples everywhere. Piles and piles of chocolate and candy. And if that wasn’t awesome enough, there were numerous ice cream stands including one for water ice,

and one for Berzaci gelato presented by Taylor Products.

Frank Cox, Jr, Show Chairman, reported that over the course of a few days, over 3500 people would experience the show. He said it’s very family-oriented and ‘for anyone looking to get into the industry, it’s a great place to start.’ I agree. In addition to the exhibitions, I saw sessions on The Art of Tempering Chocolate, Mixing Ice Cream and Candy, and also Chocolate and Love. There were lots more sessions listed in the program, but I was needed at my day-job so I couldn’t stay for the whole show.

Making the most of my time, I wandered over to Birnn’s Chocolates of Vermont. They had some of the most gorgeous truffles I’ve ever seen. They designed custom patterns and then used a silk screening process to apply them to their truffles.

I tried a banana truffle and swooned at the first bite. The scent of fresh bananas floated by as I bit into the smooth and creamy chocolate ganache center.

The chocolate mint madness fudge from Deliciously Different Fudge really was delicious. But, by the time I made my way over to them, the Snickie Pie Fudge was gone. It was so good that it disappeared within a few hours of show opening. Next time, I’m heading right for the Snickie Pie fudge first.

Dona Peters spent 30 years in the food industry and now as a retired chocolatier gets paid by Wilbur’s Chocolates to work special shows and events. This sculpture is a combination of molded chocolate coated with luster dust. Dona’s background includes time as a dietitian and cake decorating instructor. When I asked her about the irony of starting as a dietitian and then going into chocolate, her response was that ‘moderation is good, anything in excess is bad.’ Whoops. Should have talked to her before I consumed so much chocolate that day. (See bottom of post for Dona’s Chocolate Clay Recipe).

I quickly walked by lots of packaging and shrink wrap exhibitors on my way to eat more sugar. Their stuff looked interesting, but since I don’t enjoy eating cardboard, I made my way over to try some JM Golden Gourmet Rainbow Popcorn from Celebrations Fun Food Factory. I usually don’t eat popcorn but couldn’t pass up something so colorful.

Then, I came across the machines. I wanted these machines so badly. So very, very badly that I’m afraid I might have hung out a little too long at their booths. It got to the point where I was trying to get other people to buy one just so I could live vicariously.

The first machine I lusted after was from Sentry Equipment. It creates individually flavored soft serve ice cream/yogurt cups and cones in less than one minute. The process was so fast that I couldn’t really understand how they did it but it has something to do with bottles filled with flavor, individual cups of ice cream and what I can only assume is magic. If I had this machine then I would be the coolest chick on the block. Sadly, I called Kevin and he said we can’t get one so I’m relegated to my normal uncool status. Please note: that is not my hand holding the ice cream. It belongs to a random conference attendee who was nice enough to hold it so I could take photos.

Then there was the Hilliards Double Chocolate System. This machine tempers the chocolate and then enrobes candies, cookies, etc as they go by on an assembly line. I wanted to lay down, open my mouth underneath this spout, and let the chocolate pour in. Luckily for Hilliards, we were in public and I’m a little shy. Thinking of the goodness of chocolate covered oreos, I considered buying this piece of wonderful equipment.  However, until my blog makes more than 26 cents a year, I need to watch my expenses so I reluctantly left it at the show.

Lessons Learned:
-It’s hard to shoot certain types of candy because of the flash. It bounces off lollipops and other hard candies. It was also difficult to shoot the pounds of chocolate at the show. Brown upon brown is a challenging color scheme and doesn’t visually ‘pop’ the way I want.
-My willpower is weak when surrounded by so much chocolate. I did the best I could and am proud that I ate enough and then stopped before getting sick. For those of you that know me, you know this is a huge accomplishment.
-When Kevin saw my photos from the event, he regretted not attending. Honey, if you’re reading this– lesson learned: the next time I invite you to a chocolate show, immediately agree to go. There is no football game better than chocolate.

Recipe for Chocolate Clay from Dona Peters:
[note: all comments in parens are from Dona]

Ingredients:
-10 oz chocolate (white, milk, dark. Real or compound)
-1/3 cup clear Karo corn syrup for milk and dark, 1/4 cup for white

Directions:
-Melt chocolate. Quickly add room temperature corn syrup
-Mix quickly (do not over mix or it will separate and be no good)
-Pour mixture out into pan liner or parchment paper and cover with another layer of same paper
-Let sit until hard (overnight most of the time)
-Take out small portions and knead until smooth (you may need to put into heavy duty mixer for this, but take care not to overload it or the motor will burn out! Trust me, I know!!!)
-Wrap in plastic wrap and put into a tight seal container til used.
-To color: add powdered coloring to small amounts of clay, then mix the colored into the white (DO NOT mix the white into the colors)

Gail Brown is a lot like her pancakes, sweet and saucy. While her sweet side is devoted to food and family, her saucy side includes a history of racing cars and walking on hot coals. What does this add up to? An interesting woman with fascinating stories who, by the way, makes the best apple pancakes I’ve ever eaten.

As a young mother, Gail wanted to start a Christmas tradition. She found the recipe in a holiday cookbook and started making it for her family. They raved about it and so for over 40 years, some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Gail makes apple pancakes with apple cider syrup. In the beginning it was for her sons Andrew and Jason. The boys brought friends who in turn brought their families. Neighbors showed up. The crowd grew larger as her sons got older and had kids of their own. Friends and neighbors also reproduced a second generation and on pancake day, Gail could expect a crowd of 30-50 people lined up to enjoy the goodness.

One of the secrets of the syrup is that it takes a while to slowly simmer. Gail poured apple cider into a pot and set it to boil while she shared some of her history. Her philosophy of food is that it is a tradition. She believes that successful families that stay together are those that eat together. Coming back to the family table is important. In this photo, Gail is with her youngest son, Andrew, who works as a Senior A/V Specialist at a financial services firm. Her eldest son Jason is a tow truck operator and repo man. Between the two boys, Gail is a proud grandmother of 6 grandkids.

A native of Bucks County, PA, Gail learned to cook at her mother’s side. Active church participants, they helped out at church events, cooking for the community and for holidays. That’s her sweet side.

Her saucy side is completely different. Gail’s father had a trucking company and the employees there used to buy their drinks from a coke machine. Gail collected the empty bottles, turning them in for cash. In high school, she bought old Chevys for $36 and raced them in crash up derbies at the Roosevelt Raceway on Route 1.  While studying Art Education at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, she upgraded her car preferences and raced mustangs instead.

Andrew began peeling and grating the apples as I heard more sweet stories: Gail’s work experience also included:
-nursery school teacher
-children’s photographer
-commercial cleaners (her family and friends still brag about her ability to get stains out of anything)
-long term babysitter for when corporate executives had to travel (even on the day of our pancake party, Gail showed up with a very intelligent 10 year old named Allie who I must admit gets photo credit for some of the shots in this entry, including this one of the apple and the one below of the measuring cup).

Back to the saucy part. Gail added cornstarch to thicken the sauce. The aroma of apple cider filled the kitchen as Gail revealed that she also used to work for Self-help guru Tony Robbins, enrolling companies into his learning programs. She’s also done a ropes course and walked on hot coals. She threw this casually into the conversation. Then the topic changed and I didn’t bring it back up again. I missed the opportunity to find out what was most likely more saucy information. My bad.

Once the batter was ready, Gail poured it onto the griddle. Bubbles formed and popped while the edges solidified. Gail had a sixth sense as to when each pancake was ready to be flipped. She made it look so easy. I thought, “how hard can it be to flip pancakes?” and tried to do it myself. The first few, I flipped too early and the batter ran down the sides of the griddle. The next 10 or so, I flipped and they somehow folded in on themselves and never quite flattened out. Turns out there is some special flipping pancake wrist action Gail perfected over the past 40 years.

These pancakes are fantastic! (At least the ones Gail made. The ones I tried to flip were raw in the middle). When eaten separately from the syrup, the pancakes taste soft and sweet. Flecked with apples, they are satisfying while the apple cider sauce/syrup is a little tart, with just enough sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth. Together, however, the pancakes and syrup are  awesome. It’s like eating apple pie for breakfast. Mine were served with bacon and sausage which I eagerly dipped into the extra syrup.

Look how happy I am! I’m eating a warm, gooey, highly enjoyable breakfast, thanks to a sweet and saucy cook. This recipe is worth it–throw off your New Year’s diet resolutions and dig in! Instead of avoiding temptation, resolve to incorporate this dish into your January menu thereby insuring a sweet start to your year.

Lessons learned
-When someone says they have walked on hot coals, ask for more details immediately! Do not let the conversation take another turn. Do not taste the apples. Sure, they’re good but you’ll just get distracted and lose the hot coals moment.
-10 year olds are the perfect food photographers. Not only are they inquisitive, but their height puts their eye level right at the food on the table. This avoids them bending down and getting flash shadows. Where can I get my own 10 year old to travel with me and be my shooter? Allie, if you’re reading this, I’m hiring and am willing to pay you in cookies . . .

Apple Cider Syrup Recipe
Ingredients:
8c + 1 c apple cider
4c sugar
1 ½ tsp pumpkin spice
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
8 tbs cornstarch
1 stick sweet butter
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
-Pour 8 cups of apple cider and 4 cups of sugar into a pot and heat it on high until it boils, stirring occasionally. The sugar will start to bubble and you can hear it sizzle.
-Reduce the temperature until simmering.
-Add pumpkin spice and cinnamon to pot. Continue to simmer for ½ an hour.
-In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup apple cider with 8 tablespoons of cornstarch. Add to the pot of sugar and cider. Stir until blended.
-Leave on a slow rolling boil/simmer for ½ an hour.
-Add the stick of butter and lemon juice.
-Continue to keep pot on low heat for at least one hour, stirring occasionally until ready to serve.

Apple Pancakes Recipe
Ingredients:
6 granny smith or macintosh apples (if all else fails, use applesauce)
8 c Bisquick
4 eggs
3 Tbs vegetable oil
½ tsp pumpkin spice
½ tsp cinnamon
2-3 c apple cider
2 c milk

Directions:
-Peel and grate apples.
-Mix Bisquick, eggs and vegetable oil.
-Stir in grated apple, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, 2 c apple cider and 2 c milk.
-If mixture looks too thick, add in extra cup of apple cider.
-Coat the griddle with non-stick spray and heat it to approx 350 degrees Farenheit
-Pour approx 1/6 of a cup of batter on the griddle to form one pancake. Continue filling the rest of the griddle. (Gail is able to fit 8 pancakes on her griddle).
-When the bubbles start to pop and edges begin to solidify, flip the pancake.
-Check the edges of the pancake. When they turn a darker golden brown, the pancake is finished. It takes approx 4 minutes to cook the entire front/back of a pancake.

Goodbye 2009. Hello 2010!

Adapted from David Allen, the Getting Things Done guy, here is a list of questions to empower you to reflect on the past year and plan for the next one.

Reflecting on the past year:
1. List all of your completed food-related projects/experiences from 2009. They can include new restaurants, new recipes, new foods tasted, etc.
2. Review the list. What was your biggest food triumph in 2009?
3. What one word best sums up and describes your 2009 food experiences?
4. What was the greatest food lesson you learned in 2009?
5. What was the most loving food service you performed in 2009?
6. What is your biggest piece of unfinished food business in 2009?
7. What food experience/project are you most happy about completing in 2009?
8. Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your eating/cooking in 2009?
9. What was the biggest food-related risk you took in 2009?
10. What was the biggest food-related surprise in 2009?

Creating the new year:
1. What would you like to be your biggest food-related triumph in 2010?
2. What is the major effort you are planning to improve your cooking/eating in 2010?
3. What food project/experience would you be most happy about completing in 2010?
4. What major indulgence do you want to experience in 2010?
5. What would you most like to change about your cooking/eating in 2010?
6. What are you looking forward to learning in 2010?
7. What do you think your biggest food risk will be in 2010?
8. What is one as yet undeveloped talent you are willing to explore in 2010?
9. What food and/or food experience brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of that in 2010?
10. What one word would you like to have as your food theme in 2010?

To all my fellow foodies and Amiable Life fans, I wish you a happy and healthy new year. May every day be sweet. May your year be delicious.