Dear Florence and Darla,

Please adopt me. You are fabulous and I want to be part of your families.

(To my readers who don’t know Florence and Darla – I spent a happy afternoon making spinach kugel with Florence and nut ball cookies with her adopted granddaughter Darla. Below you’ll find more info as to why I want to be adopted by them).

(To everyone else who I have interviewed – trust me when I tell you, I’m always looking to be adopted and will happily join your families as well. You are all awesome in your own special way.)

(To my actual family – I love you and am happy to be your daughter/wife/sister/aunt/etc. My reasons for wanting to be adopted are mostly culinary. Ready to share your family recipes with me yet? No? Then I’m still going to other people’s houses for food. You’re not losing me. You’re gaining a whole set of my new friends who can cook.)

Reasons I want to be adopted by Florence Arnold:

– Florence makes a great spinach kugel. Using fine egg noodles, the kugel tastes like a cross between a casserole and a soufflé.  According to Florence, “spinach kugel has carbs, veggies and eggs. It’s a meal in itself.”

–She follows James Beard’s advice, even though she doesn’t see a difference. For example, James Beard recommends adding one egg at a time when called for in a recipe. Florence goes along, but admits she doesn’t see the point.

– In all of her baked goods, Florence uses butter. “There is nothing that replaces butter. You can use margarine, but it won’t taste the same,” Florence said.

–Florence has an awesome meet-cute with her husband. At 17 years old, she worked for the Navy as an office clerk. She would type up files and get official signatures when needed. She wanted to write to someone in the service and began corresponding with a man in the air force. They wrote for 9 months until he came home on leave. Their first date was around Passover and all she could drink was wine and champagne. Their marriage lasted 44 years before he succumbed to lung cancer leaving Florence behind to continue raising 2 kids, 3 grandkids and 1 adopted grandkid.

–Note to her grandkids – Florence wants you to know she is waiting for great-grandkids.

–Florence likes to stay busy and is full of great ideas. Faced with wearing extra large sunglasses that don’t fit into a normal-sized case, Florence knitted her own extra large sunglasses case while I cooked with Darla.

–When she was 75, she had her bat mitzvah.

–Now 85 years old, Florence volunteers two days/week at her local synagogue and enjoys going out to lunch with friends.

–Florence’s life advice: “If you get up in the morning, it’s a good day. Make the most of it.”

–Florence doesn’t follow any specific diets. Her great grandmother lived to be over 100 years old and her mother lived to be 98. “It’s all about attitude,” said Florence. “You need to be an up person and have a great attitude.”

– Florence also advised me that when it comes to money, “it’s not about how much you make, it’s about what it buys.”

–Also, “when you get older, you don’t have to prove anything, you’ve paid your dues.”

Reasons I want to be adopted by Darla Synnestvedt:

–Darla knows how to take an amazing nut cookie recipe and make it even healthier.

–Retired from the corporate world at the age of 28, she has traveled extensively and enjoys extreme sports. Need to know the best place to eat in Dubai? Want to know the best place to go rock climbing? Ask Darla.

–She is the kind of person who you meet and immediately list as super-cool. The kind of person you wish you had as a big sister (alas, I’m older). The kind of person who thinks going in on a cow-share is a fun idea. The kind of person Florence’s son & wife met at a holiday party and invited to become a part-time caretaker of their gorgeous house (which happens to be on the edge of a beautiful nature preserve). The kind of person who became so much a part of the extended family that Florence took her on as an additional granddaughter.

– Darla uses homemade vanilla made with rum. It’s a gift from her brother Frank, a baker who designs/creates gorgeous cakes. You can check out his creations here: www.thecakecontractor.com

–Darla doesn’t use microwaves. While I find this impressive, now that I think about it, this one would count as a ‘don’t adopt me’ because I wouldn’t last 2 hours w/out microwaving something.

–I’m trying to eat better and Darla doesn’t eat sugar or flour. She’s tried all sorts of diets and for the last few months has been following the primal diet which is mostly grain and sugar free. She does Olympic weight lifting and found that a high-protein, low-carb diet works for her.

–For her 30th birthday, she gave herself the gift of a personal trainer and works out at Crossfit, a garage gym with pullup bars, barbells and bumper plates. The idea is to master the basics of gymnastics and weightlifting, to be all-over fit.

–An experienced private chef, Darla can whip up any recipe within minutes and make it healthier than the original version.  She learned her craft as an assistant to chefs/food-stylists and is able to artfully present delicious food combining elements of healthy taste with well-designed presentation.

–Darla supports local food growers and gets her meat from Hendricks Farms and Dairy http://www.hendricksfarmsanddairy.com/ She also believes in using all organic ingredients and buys her produce from a CSA in Lancaster called Wimer Organics. http://wimersorganics.com/

–Darla has teamed up with two other journalists on a multimedia road trip called RoadHug. They are going off the beaten path in America to find the best food, fashion and music our country has to offer. Sammy is the fashion maven looking for sustainable, thrifty fashion. She spoke at one of Darla’s journalism classes at Temple University. They formed a friendship and then reached out through their network to find Julia, a NYC singer/songwriter. The threesome hits the road sometime in 2011. Their pilot will be filmed this August in Athens, GA. Follow their adventures at: http://www.roadhugusa.com/

Florence and Darla,

Seriously, please consider adopting me. I’m a great eater, I love talking about food, I’d be happy to learn how to knit and lift weights. At the very least, let me know when you’re ready to go on our own road trip to pick up our cow.

Lessons Learned:
–Florence puts foil on all cookie sheets because James Beard said a shiny surface makes for a better cookie.
–Darla keeps a pizza stone in the oven and will put her baking pans right on top of it. She says it keeps the heat in the oven when you open the door.
–I have got to figure out how to properly use my speedlight flash. It makes such a difference. (Thanks Darla for letting me borrow yours).

Florence’s Spinach Kugel Recipe
Serves 15

Ingredients:
2 boxes frozen spinach
8 oz package fine noodles
¼ lb butter (1 stick)
1 package dry onion mushroom soup mix
1 cup regular sour cream
4 large eggs

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
-Cook noodles as directed and drain.
-Cook spinach as directed and drain.
-Mix spinach and noodles together.
-Melt butter and add to spinach and noodles.
-Add onion mix and sour cream to spinach noodles.
-Add eggs one at a time and mix in after adding each one.
-Pour mixture into ungreased 9×13 pan
-Bake for 1 hour

Note from Florence: This recipe freezes great. If you plan on freezing it, only bake it for 45 minutes and then re-heat it for 15 minutes. Also, you can substitute broccoli for the spinach.

Darla’s Nut Ball Cookie Recipe
(Adapted from her Grandmother’s recipe)

Ingredients:
½ lb butter
2 cups pecans finely ground
5 tbs sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
-Mix together all ingredients and roll into small balls.
-Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
-Bake at 200 degrees for over 1 hour.

Notes from Darla: Grind the pecans until they are really fine, almost to a mealy quality. Roughly chopped won’t work well with this recipe. My grandmother’s recipe says to bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for over an hour. I’ve refined the recipe and instead bake it at 250 degrees for 50 minutes to one hour. They are finished when they are golden brown. Gently pull them up to check the bottom which should be golden brown. Be careful, they will easily fall apart at this stage. Let them cool before serving.

Maria Smith and I have a difference of opinion. She thinks her personality most resembles one of her fantastic meatballs because not one meatball is the same and everybody loves them. I have no doubt that everybody loves Maria, but I think it’s because she is really a human version of her spinach pies. Like her pies, she is warm and full of goodness. Also, after spending time with her, you feel like you just did something healthy.

An administrative assistant for the Sr VP of Student Life at Drexel University, Maria has 3 kids– 2 girls and a boy as well as 4 grandkids (all boys). Her grandsons, Billy (age 10) and Nick (age 9), joined us as we made spinach pies. Nick likes the combination of ingredients because “when it is mushed together, it gets a good flavor.”

It’s traditional for Italian families to make Spinach Pies on Good Friday. Growing up in South Philly, first her grandmother Virginia, and then later her mother Rosie made this recipe, giving away between 200-250 pies to their family and friends. They used spinach because on Good Friday you can’t have meat, and it’s easier to make than broccoli pies. Specifically, Maria’s mother used frozen spinach because cleaning the fresh spinach proved to be too time consuming.

Maria learned to cook by watching her mother. Rosie, was always laughing and joking. She used to say, “you can’t just sit and cry over a problem. You have to know how to work out of it. No sense in getting depressed about anything.” Rosie died of leukemia when Maria was 37 years old. The first year after Rosie died no one tried her recipes. The second year, Maria made her spinach pie plus other recipes and she’s been doing it for the past 26 years. Eventually, Maria’s daughter Rene will take over the tradition.

As she showed me how to fold the dough over the spinach mixture, Maria talked about her children. Her son Bobby is a police officer, Rene is an accountant/bookkeeper and Rita is an administrative assistant at Drexel. “I would always talk to my kids about everything” Maria said. “I told them I can’t help you moneywise, but you have my love and the door is always open to use and your friends. We always had the neighborhood kids over. Even now, I’m right behind my kids, no matter what. It’s the gift my mother gave to me and it’s what I gave to my kids.”

Surviving uterine cancer a few years ago was difficult, but Maria’s positive attitude helped her get through it. Her life advice is to “live, love, laugh and be happy. Take one day at a time. No matter what the problem is, don’t let it get you down.” In addition to being super-positive, Maria is a really big-hearted person. She calls people “love” and “honey” and is able to do so without sounding ironic. When I called to tell her I was lost and late to her house, she comforted me over the phone.

She’s everyone’s neighborhood psychiatrist and I can see why. People can talk to her about anything and she’ll give anyone advice. Need a friendly ear? Call Maria. Need advice on your career or relationship? Call Maria. Need a pot of gravy for your dinner this weekend? Call Maria. Seriously–Maria loves cooking and will happily make a pot of her gravy for friends and family.

We sat down to enjoy a few spinach pies. Firm, golden-brown half-moon shaped crusts encased a savory combination of spinach, olives and in some pies, anchovies. The pastry was warm, thick and reminded me of calzones. Popeye would rave about the spinach mixture. Evoking thoughts of summer harvests, the generous portion of spinach was dotted with slightly bitter olives and tasted lightly salty from the anchovies. I’m from a family who adds extra anchovies to their salads so the pies were right up my alley.

Like many people I interview, Maria is the type of person who cooks for the fun of it. No leftovers for her. Instead, she will cook everything from scratch and most of the time measures by hand. At one point I asked to use her measuring cup to get a more accurate reading on ingredient quantities. Laughing, she showed me where she keeps it: under the sink and used to store Tupperware lids. Clearly, the measuring cup isn’t getting a lot of use. Maria doesn’t do fancy food and prefers down-to-earth home cooked meals. “None of that jar gravy or ragu stuff” she said. What it all comes down to is that Maria is an incredibly big-hearted person who makes an excellent spinach pie. She’s the person to call when you need a good meal or some old-fashioned advice. I would give you her phone number but then you would abuse it and call her at all hours until she fixes your life and then agrees to make you her famous gravy. Sorry, I’m selfishly keeping her number private. Go make your own gravy.

 Lessons Learned:
–We talked a lot about how Italians celebrate holidays. I discovered that a “lamb cake” is butter molded in the shape of a lamb and served at Easter. Huh. Not at all what first came to mind when I heard the term “lamb cake.”
–I learned some Italian phrases while at Maria’s house. Abbundaza = a lot; Alege = anchovies; Stat a zite = shut up (her grandsons taught me that one).
–Gravy = tomato sauce.
–This might be TMI, but after eating a few spinach pies, my bowels were regular for the first time in months. The book ‘Skinny Bitch’ advocates for eating a pound of spinach a day. Now I know why and it’s a great side benefit. Those of my readers who want to be healthier, make Maria’s spinach pie recipe once a week. Eat and enjoy.

 Spinach Pie Recipe:

Ingredients for filling:
10 boxes frozen spinach
2 cans of black olives (Maria said there is only one size can and she uses the small pitted olives)
2 small jars of small pimento olives strained & left whole
4 little boxes of white raisins
1 tsp salt
4-5 Tbs garlic powder
2 tins Cento anchovies—rolled fillets
1 tsp salt
5 lb pizza dough (will make 25 pies) 

Ingredients/Directions for egg wash:
In a large bowl combine:
1 dozen eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 tsp parsley flakes 

Directions for assembling pies:
-Preheat oven to 350
-Cook spinach the night before and let it strain all night until it is mostly dry. You don’t want wet spinach in your mixture.
-Mix the spinach, black olives, pimento olives, white raisins, salt and garlic powder in a bowl. Maria said to use your hands for this step.
-In case your guests don’t like anchovies, separate the mixture into two different bowls and add the anchovies into the second bowl. Now you have 2 options – spinach pie with or without anchovies.
-Grab 2 handfuls of dough and combine them then rollout it out into an oblong shape.
-Put handful of mix in the middle of the dough.
-Using your left hand to push the ingredients in to the middle, pick up the far edge of the dough in your right hand and fold it over the ingredients until it meets the other end forming a half moon shape.
-Use a fork to press down and shut the edges.
-Cover both sides of pastry with egg wash.
-Coat baking sheet with non-stick spray.
-Place pies on pan and bake for 20 minutes.
-Flip pies onto other side and bake for another 20 minutes.
-Pies will be golden brown when finished.

“Hectic” was my mother’s answer to just about everything. “How’s life?” people would ask. “Hectic,” would be her reply.
“Can you be a classroom mom?” the teachers would ask.  “Nope, things are too hectic right now.”

I wondered why adult life was so hectic. Surely adults could set their own schedules; do what they want, when they want, right?

After running around so much that I haven’t had time to blog in over 2 weeks, I understand the concept of hectic.

Mom, if you’re reading this  . . . I get it. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I understand what you were feeling in those moments.

To the people I have interviewed lately — I’m sorry I haven’t posted your stories/recipes sooner. I haven’t forgotten about you (or your spinach pie, grandmother’s chicken, strawberry shortcake, nut cookies or spinach kugel). I haven’t forgotten the guy I met at Key West Tacos, or the awesome food I ate there.

Things have just been hectic. I’ll get to all of you soon. I promise.

My husband turned 37 this Memorial Day weekend and we are spending a few days celebrating with family. Kevin loves chocolate so for his birthday, I made him a flourless chocolate cake. The recipe can be found here on Allrecipes.com. It’s super-easy to make and was a big hit.

Lessons learned:
–Kevin loves the waffle maker I got him for his bday. The set of drinking glasses, however, was not as popular. I think glasses must be the equivalent of giving someone socks. We really needed the glasses though because ours keep breaking in the dishwasher. (Yes, we put them on the top rack–not sure why they keep breaking).
–The cake really is better if you have the time to let it chill overnight. The first batch of cake was good; the leftover cake the next day was amazing.

Wishing all my readers a Happy Memorial Day weekend.

In my entire life I never thought I would utter, ‘there is just too much cheese,’ and yet that’s exactly what I found myself exclaiming when eating Giordano’s stuffed crust deep dish pizza. There was so much cheese that I briefly worried about it being a choking hazard. If I choked on the long strands of mozzarella, then someone would be able to pull them out of my mouth like a magician with a tied-handkerchief chain.

While in Chicago for a few conferences related to my day-job, I took the opportunity to explore the city’s cuisine which is how I wound up at Giordano’s. Despite the overwhelming amount of cheese, I really enjoyed their pizza. Their crust was thick without being too crunchy and the semi-sweet tomato sauce provided just the right amount of tangy taste.

I’d gone to Giordano’s because my first attempt at Chicago pizza wasn’t great and I wanted to see if it was me, the restaurant, or the pizza style. I’d started my journey at Lou Malnati’s. When you order, they say it takes 30 minutes for your pizza so I had quite some time to wait which raised my expectations. Unfortunately, 30 minutes later, the waiter dropped off a wet pizza. Yes–wet. I don’t know how else to describe it. It was as if someone had baked the crust to a thin, hard crisp and then poured a 1/2 a cup of water over the top of the tomato sauce. I suspect that the 30 minutes was because they had to defrost the pizza and what I ate was the result of leftover ice/liquid that didn’t evaporate in the oven. I’d never had a wet pizza before and wondered if perhaps this was the Chicago way of doing things.

My negative food experience continued at Frontera Grill. I like Rick Bayless. He’s a hard-working, creative chef who really cares about his staff and his fans. I’m going to chalk up my meal to a bad night for the chef. I’ve never eaten such a rubbery, chewy steak before. This was not the kind chewy you get with grass-fed beef — it was more like eating rubber dish washing gloves, or gnawing on a piece of windshield wiper. After a 45 minute wait and a $32/steak price tag, I thought the food would be better. However, I’m willing to give Rick and Frontera another chance next time I’m in the area. At least it was more satisfying than a wet pizza.

Improving my palate is fun, but I wanted to full Chicago experience so I also visited the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Chicago Institute of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. My thoughts on them are:
–Field Museum + both Art Museums = yeah!
–Shedd Aquarium = meh.
I also saw a number of awesome comedy shows at Annoyance Theater, Improv Olympic, and Second City. I highly recommend all three venues. Specifically, check out the Cook County Social Club, Felt and TJ & Dave. Additionally, I attended 2 shows at ComedySportz. The players were funny, but I had a hard time hearing the comedians because I sat in one of the worst seats in the house (more on that below in lessons learned). The best part about ComedySportz is that I was next to some native Chicagoians who said if I’ve tried the pizza, I have to eat the hot dog.

Portillo’s hot dogs are well known for their combination of a Vienna beef dog and a pickle (amongst other things). A full breakdown of all of the ingredients can be found here.  Before I share my thoughts on their tastiness, please know that while I will eat anything/everything, I’m not a huge fan of pickles or sauerkraut. With that said, the hot dog wasn’t bad. Once I removed the pickle, it was great. The poppy seed bun was soft and I liked the addition of the tomatoes.

Speaking of great, I also had some wonderful meals and table service at Karyn’s on Green, Dinotto’s, Indian Garden and Bella Bacinos. If you need somewhere to eat in Chicago, check them out.

Lessons learned:
–If you are dining or laughing alone, Chicago can be a bit tough. A number of restaurants and comedy clubs stuck me in the corner. (Feel free to insert Dirty Dancing line here). Sitting next to the piano player makes it really hard for me to hear the funny (yes, you ComedySportz). Putting me at the little counter where the waiters make their cappuccinos and stuff tortillas into baskets is insulting (hear that Frontera Grill)? My tickets and food cost the same as everyone else, yet because I didn’t have  a date with me I was treated in some places like a second class citizen.
–I can’t finish an entire pizza by myself anymore. I don’t know when that happened, but I realized it 1/2 way through the Giordano’s pizza. So sad. What happened to my stomach staying power?
–Chicago is an awesome city. Big, clean, funny with good food and activities. Trying to fit the post-conference tourist activities in to my evening schedule meant that I slept a lot less than usual but it was worth it. I’d definitely go back.
–Special thanks to Lori and Mary Louise who saved me from eating by myself all of the time. It’s always nice to connect with friends. Thanks for letting me monopolize the conversation!

Walk into Sue Cassidy’s kitchen and you’ll see her cat, Clyde, sitting at her feet listening to Sue as she cooks and sings. Her taste in music is all over the map and includes Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Counting Crows, Elton John, Sheryl Crow,  Tina Turner and her all-time favorite band, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes. Her taste in recipes is equally eclectic and on any given day, she could be whipping up one of the over 325 recipes from the “Cooking with Clyde” cookbook she wrote. Known as the Singing Sue Chef, Sue doesn’t want to be famous for her vocal styling. Instead, the singing is really a metaphor for the happiness and joy she feels in the kitchen.

Sue’s mission and goal is to bring the same happiness and joy to others in the kitchen. To enhance her cooking experience, when she is not grooving to music and singing, Sue listens to books on tape. “You get to cook while someone else reads you a book,” Sue said. She wants people to be able to enjoy cooking and feel that it is a leisure activity as opposed to a chore. To that end, her cookbook was written to make it easier for people to cook. She purposely used easy to obtain ingredients and easy to follow recipes.

The book is named “Cooking with Clyde” in honor of her 15 year old tuxedo cat who likes to be underfoot while she cooks. A big part of the cookbook features Clyde. Sue included lots of pictures of him and under each picture is a funny caption. “It’s the perfect book for cat lovers,” said Sue.

For over 14 years Sue worked for a lobbying firm in Washington DC until she changed directions and followed her passion for cooking. It took her 3 ½ years to write the book and the recipes range from Tex Mex and Asian to Indian, German, French and Italian. From appetizers and main courses to desserts, it has a little bit of everything. According to Sue, the majority of recipes take ½ an hour of active prep time. She wanted something accessible for everyone, from the basic cook to more sophisticated home chef. With a background in accounting and administration, her organizational skills and attention to detail came in handy. She meticulously tested each recipe and made sure her instructions were clear and concise. Sue’s husband Pat, a massage therapist, helped her select recipes for the book. He’s always appreciative of her cooking and provided her with an honest opinion towards the inclusion of recipes.

 “Cooking with Clyde” is dedicated to Sue’s mother Toni. As a teenager growing up in York, PA, Sue spent time with her mother in the kitchen. Toni was happiest in the kitchen and loved people in there with her (as long as they didn’t try to help too much). Sue enjoyed being in the kitchen as well and dedicated hours at her mother’s side, learning the traditional recipes.  “Mom’s food was so delicious.” Sue said. “I realized intuitively how rewarding it is to be in control of what goes into your body and the bodies of those you love and care for.  If you go to a restaurant, it’s hit or miss.  If you want to eat fabulous food, you can happily and easily achieve that goal.”

One of the reasons her mother was such a good cook was because she wouldn’t accept anything except the best ingredients. When Toni shopped, she would go to the farmers market, the butcher and the seafood market, selecting the highest quality ingredients at each location. Sue follows her mother’s beliefs and thinks if you start with great ingredients, your food will taste a cut above.

Sue shared her mother’s sparerib recipe with me and told me that when Toni would make it for her family, she bought her baby back ribs from the same butcher every time. He learned that Toni didn’t like a fatty rib so when it came to the rendering process, she had very little excess fat. The finished ribs shouldn’t be greasy at all.

Sue’s philosophy of food is that it should not be thought of as fuel. It is one of the main components of life and therefore something to be shared, enjoyed and revered. When preparing food, make it the best it can be for that moment. Passed down from mother to daughter, it’s a philosophy Sue continues to follow every time she’s in the kitchen. Toni not only shared some amazing recipes, she also taught her daughter to love life and love food.

Lessons Learned:
–I love my husband Kevin and am glad I married an engineer who can fix things, but being married to a massage therapist sounds like heaven! Honey, if you are reading this, please feel free to take some sort of massage classes. Love, your wife.
– Sue is lucky that Clyde never jumps up on her kitchen counters. My cat loves being as close to food prep as possible.
–I never rendered or basted anything before. Now I can add both to my list of accomplishments.
–I need to do a better job of following simple directions. The recipe clearly stated ‘sliced onion’ so what did I do? Chopped it up. Reading *is* fundamental.
–These ribs take a few hours to cook and they are worth it. They are succulent and the meat falls right off the bone. I ate half a rack in one sitting. I thought about giving some to my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day, but I ate too many so got her flowers instead.
–In my family, the men are in charge of the ribs. When my father heard we were coming to dinner, he’d fire up the grill. My married family is the same and the men are well known for their finger-licking ribs. In the case of this recipe, it was nice to see a tradition passed down from mother to daughter.

Recipe (taken from Sue’s cookbook)
At the bottom of the rib recipe below are pictures of Sue’s parents as well as Sue and her mother.

The Butcher & Singer Burger rocks! I don’t normally write restaurant reviews so I’m not going to comment on their impeccable service or clear commitment to excellent food. I’m not going to tell you about the awesome burgers. The ones that are so good that I can close my eyes and imagine eating one right now. Nope, I’m going to keep to myself the fact that the burgers are perfect–a thick, meaty, burger with a good char and evenly seared, served with Russian dressing, English cheddar, fried onions and a plate full of french fries.

Instead of raving about the burger (and how much I want to eat it every day), I’d like to introduce you to my new Burger Club.

Our fearless leader: Dr Jeff Jaffe–Local University
A devout follower of the ”the more meat the better” diet, he considered eating a second burger for dessert.

And his trusty sidekicks (the rest of us)

Ron Miller–Local University

Tess Kristensen–Learning Dept at my unnamed Financial Services firm

Andrew Brown–Learning Dept at my unnamed Financial Services firm. You may remember Andrew from when I interviewed his mom about her apple pancake recipe.

And last–me! Look at how happy I am with this burger!
(Ignore the lack of my bun — I’m trying to cut carbs when I’m not eating at people’s houses for Amiable Life. I have priorities and your family recipes rank above restaurant food).

We 5 have pledged to find and eat fantastic burgers throughout Philly. This one was our first and it really set the standard. I can’t imagine anyone topping it, but I’m willing to embark on a journey of discovery. I could lie and say we are going to take a scientific approach to this research, but honestly, it’s for pure enjoyment. When I find good ones, I’ll list them on this blog.

By the way–if you have a great family recipe for burgers, please send it my way. BBQ season is here and I’d like to feature food that can be grilled.

Lessons Learned:
–This is not a lesson so much as a sidenote–these images were taken with my iphone. I know they are not great and am open to suggestions on how to better shoot with it. I find myself in restaurants w/out my proper flash camera and wind up with not-so-great photos. Feel free to leave me comments on how to shoot with an older gen iphone.
–I am the slowest eater! Jeff is the fastest. Everyone else is somewhere in between.
–I miss burger buns. Stupid carbs. Stupid weight gain. Still, it’s worth it if it means I can eat your cookies, cupcakes, pies, cakes, ice cream, tiramisu, french toast, pancakes, etc.

Once upon a time, about 40 years ago, my mother in law Dale wanted to surprise her husband George so she made him a meatloaf; one of his favorite meals. Although not a huge meatloaf fan herself, she wanted to do something nice for her sweetie. Dale lovingly went to the store, purchased the ingredients, shaped the loaf, put it in the oven to bake, set the dinner table with candles and called George to remind him to come home from work in time for dinner.

Sadly, George got caught up in a work project for several hours and by the time he came home, the candles had burned down to stubs and the meatloaf was cold. George apologized, but it was too late. Dale vowed she would never make meatloaf again and for 40 years the meatloaf pan remained empty. George patiently waited, and waited (and occasionally ordered it out at restaurants), but the family is known for a stubborn streak and so the Hocking house remained meatloaf free.

Until one day, a fairy godmother named Paula Deen posted a new meatloaf recipe to her website. It got rave reviews and Dale decided to try it: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/old-fashioned-meat-loaf-aka-basic-meatloaf-recipe/index.html

For longer than I have been alive, my father-in-law George has been waiting for Dale to make him another meatloaf. It took 40 years for this blurry photo to happen. 40 years of waiting. 40 years of patience. Luckily, Kevin and I could be there for this momentous event and I was able to capture the meatloaf joy with my handy iphone camera. George eagerly ate seconds, then thirds. Hip hip hooray! Everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

Lessons Learned:
–Good things come to those who wait (40 years)
–I need to carry my canon camera with me at all times. I love my iphone, but the camera just doesn’t cut it for food photos.
–40 year old meatloaf tastes awesome (also, Paula Deen’s recipe is great).
–If you are going to dinner at Dale’s house, do not be late.
–Just in case she’s reading this — I love you Dale! Happy Mother’s Day!

Nicole Jaconetti is the kind of woman who finds opportunities and then turns them into success. If opportunity was a baseball, she would hit it out of the park. To keep up with the sports metaphors (and because Nicole is a Flyers fan), if opportunity was a hockey puck, she would score goal after goal.

Growing up in Deptford NJ, Nicole studied Cosmetology at Glouster County Institute of Technology and also attended the Art Institute where she majored in Interior Design. A year and a half ago, Nicole was happily employed as an interior designer. For fun, she would attend rock concerts with her friends. They like the Killers, Rage, and No Doubt. Nicole lists the Beatles, Korn and Godsmack as some of her fav music as well. She read the Twillight series 3 times and also enjoyed taking walks with her 2 beautiful daughters, Annabella, 5 and Alayna 19 months. In her spare time, she liked to dabble in the kitchen, baking cupcakes for her daughter’s school and holiday cookies for friends.

Then the recession hit and like many people, Nicole was laid off. She returned to baking for fun and made a bridal shower cake for one of her sister’s friends. Everyone raved about it and she saw this as an opportunity to pursue a life-long dream of being a professional baker. Annalayna’s Sweets was created. Named after Nicole’s daughters, Annalayna’s Sweets provides baked goods for all occasions.

Instead of picking out curtain fabrics, now Nicole spends her days making birthday cakes and winning cupcake challenges. She can make anything. From molded candy to realistic cakes, Nicole uses her background in art and design to her advantage. Self-taught, Nicole has spent hours practicing each technique. The day before my visit she made an anniversary cake and a Backyardigans birthday cake. I’ve also seen her pizza cake which tastes like cake and buttercream but looks just like a pizza.

She’s especially known for her vanilla pudding cake, her cream cheese pound cake and her chocolate peanut butter cake. Her style is contemporary, fun and flavorful. “I’m not a traditional person and my stuff reflects my funky personality.”

To anyone who knows Nicole, it’s no surprise she ended up as a professional baker. She’s been baking as long as she can remember. Grandmothers, her Mother and Father all baked with her. The first thing she remembers making was “Cookie Monster Dough” which came from a recipe found in a Sesame Street Book.

When she was a young child, her grandfather made her grandmother an enormous cutting board, exactly the size of their kitchen table. It was there that Nicole’s family gathered around, baking together. It was there that she learned to make the hamentaschen recipe she shared with me. Each Spring, her grandmother would make these cookies and Nicole remembers helping out by using a round glass to cut each cookie.

For those of you, who have never tried hamentaschen, imagine a fig newton, except 100 times better. Traditionally, these cookies are served during the Jewish holiday of Purim. According to www.jewfaq.org, the (abbreviated) story is that a beautiful and smart Jewish woman named Esther married the King of Persia while keeping her Jewish heritage a secret. Meanwhile, the King had an advisor named Haman who hated Jews and planned to kill them all. Esther revealed her religion to the King who then saved the Jews and hanged Haman. To celebrate, the Jews ate cookies. (That last part about the cookie eating isn’t verified). Hamentaschen, depending on the source, are known as “Haman’s Pockets,” “Haman’s Hat,” or “Haman’s Ears.”

As a young Jewish child, I remember dressing up like Esther and eating hamentaschen. We always thought of them as “Haman’s Ears,” because my family is morbid and loves a good ear-eating story. Nicole’s hamentaschen taste nothing like ears. They are soft, golden-brown with a thick dough crust outside and a semi-sweet apple-prune-filled center.

As she combined the filling ingredients and then rolled out the dough, Nicole talked about her family and friends. Family is very important to her and she is close with her two younger sisters. A combination of food and family, Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. She holds it at her house and cooks most of the food for 16-18 people. She believes that no one should be alone on Thanksgiving so she invites everyone. Her philosophy of food stems from her desire to see people content. “I like to make other people happy and food does that,” Nicole said. “When I make snacks for my daughter’s school and they see the cupcakes and cookies, they are so happy.”

Nicole folded up the sides of each hamentaschen and reflected on the concept of herself as an ingredient. She debated between being an avocado or a pizza and decided on pizza because it can be so many different varieties and she’s versatile. Plus, pizza makes everyone happy and she likes to make people happy.

After baking 3-4 trays of cookies, we ran out of filling. Nicole immediately seized on the opportunity and began rummaging through her refrigerator and cabinets for alternative ingredients. As she created other flavor combinations, I knew that just like Esther, Nicole would always manage to turn situations into a success. Sitting at her dining room table, we enjoyed the regular hamentaschen and also versions that included raspberry + cream cheese (plain), chocolate + peanut butter, and raspberry + cream cheese (with orange zest). The last combination proved to be awesome and I’m glad I could be there to participate in the birth of a new Annalayna’s Sweets baked tradition.

Lessons Learned:
-When you run out of regular filling for a recipe, make something up! While the traditional recipe is awesome, it’s also really exciting to try out new flavor combinations.
-Kevin likes hamentaschen. Who knew? Nicole generously packed up some leftovers for me. Kevin thought they were sweet without being too sweet and chewy without being doughy. He ate a lot (but as usual I ate more). I’m so proud of my gentile husband who eats hamentaschen and says, ‘oy.’
-If you get a chance to visit Nicole in her kitchen, bring an ipod with speakers, or your own laptop with a Pandora account. Nicole likes to listen to music when she bakes and the day I was there, she had already listened to so much that Pandora turned off her access for the rest of the month. That’s a lot of music!
-Please note: the photos of the cakes on this page were taken by Nicole. She has lots of them on her Facebook page and I helped myself. If you want to see more photos of her creations, look her up on Facebook.
-Nicole learned that it’s difficult to get me to leave her house. I was so darn happy perched on a stool, watching her bake and talking about food that I spent hours upon hours there. Her husband came home, her kids were ready for bed and yet I remained. She was too nice to kick me out.

Hamentaschen Cookies

Dough Ingredients
Yields 60-80 cookies depending on size and thickness of rolled dough
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup orange juice
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
5-6 cups flour

Directions:
Cream the oil and sugar.
Add eggs and continue mixing until smooth.
Add liquids and flavoring.
Add flour until it turns into a ball.
She does it until she can pick it up and it’s sticky. If it’s too sticky, add more dough. Nicole says if you are using a KitchenAid mixer, it will start to struggle if it’s on low speed. That’s when you know the dough is finished.
Mound up the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator overnight.

Filling Ingredients
1 can prune jam (approx 10 oz)
1/3 cup softened, finely chopped raisins (Nicole soaked hers in hot water for 6-7 hours. She uses both dark and light raisins because her mother prefers white ones while her sister prefers the dark).
½ tsp cinnamon (Nicole said this is optional. Her grandmother used it but she doesn’t include it because she doesn’t like the taste of cinnamon).
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbs orange juice
¼ cup sugar (more or less to taste)
1/3 cup chopped nuts
½ apple chopped

To assemble the cookies:
Flour the surface of the counter.
Take a handful of dough and roll it out until it is approx 1/8 inch thick.
Use the opening of a drinking glass to cut 2 1/2 – 3 inch rounds out of the dough.
Use a spatula to remove them from the counter and put them on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Put 1/2 a tsp of filling into the center of each circle.
Fold up the dough from the bottom over the filling and pinch it on the right side, forming the side of the triangle. Do the same thing to the left side. Pinch the top together and you should have a triangle.
Bake at 350 degrees farenheit for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on a cooling rack.

Thanks to a diverse group of friends and family, my take on religion is like an a la carte menu. I pick elements from a few different offerings, combining them into my own spirituality. This week was Jewish + Christian and it all added up to several days of good eats.

The week started with a delicious hamantaschen recipe from Nicole from Annalayna’s Sweets. I’m working on writing up a much longer post about the experience so until then, you’ll have to scratch and sniff the computer screen.

Next was Passover second seder at Rabbi Geri’s house. I first met Geri when we both pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Miami. We spent time together hanging out on the patio, in the Kappa suite and at various fraternity mixers. Not once did I ever turn to her at a crowded Lambda Chi party and shout above the band, “I can’t wait to have Passover Seder at your house 15 years from now!” And yet, here we were for our second annual 2nd Seder. Geri and her family are good cooks and gracious hosts. The haroset was sweet, the balsamic chicken was tangy and the brisket was moist and I happily piled the shreds on my plate.

Then it was onwards to Baltimore for night 6 of Passover. My little sister Julie is known for her intellectual prowess. Additionally, she happens to be quite crafty and is a master at mosaics. Cooking, however, has never been her forte. Until now . . .

Julie decided to turn her energy to the kitchen and seemingly effortlessly whipped up a mini-Passover seder. I am so proud of her. The matzo balls were light and fluffy, plus she made the chicken soup from scratch! Her haroset had finely chopped apples and her potato latkes were perfectly made. Mike’s parents, Janice & Gary brought awesome steaks, but I ate those (and also Julie’s matzo brie) before I remembered my camera.

Finally, Kevin and I made it home from Baltimore in time for a White House Easter. There were appetizers of bbq ribs and chicken, followed by the annual easter egg hunt. Those of you that are familiar with White holidays know that I spend holiday time enjoying my family and trying to survive an incredible food marathon.

Lessons Learned:
-An old dog can learn new tricks — go Julie! Great job on the seder. No need to cook again until next year.
-You never know when college friends will turn out to be Rabbis. I’m just lucky that Geri and I were able to reconnect. Thanks Geri, Eric and Jay for including us in your celebration.
-When attending a White House holiday, it’s important to pace yourself. Some of the newbies this year thought the appetizers were dinner and they never made it through to dessert. I’ve learned the hard way, take one and only one of everything. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the pound cake and chocolate covered strawberries and they are definitely worth the extra time I’m going to do in the gym tomorrow.

To all my readers: wishing you a happy holiday for all religions. Happy Passover, Happy Easter, Happy Spring and just have a happy food-filled day.