Gam’s Apple Chutney

Interpretive Cooking

Every family has a Thanksgiving recipe handed down through the generations. Even if it just opening a box, it still counts as a family tradition (or at the very least, a funny commentary on whether or not your ancestors could cook). Case in point, my paternal grandmother was a disaster in the kitchen. In fact, my grandfather did all of the cooking during a time when it was definitely not the norm, and they always came to our house for Holiday meals.

My maternal grandmother was just the opposite. If you read my posts regularly, you will know about Gam’s recipes—she was a really great cook. I have come to realize that she was pretty bad at actually writing her recipes. When you consider she was a teacher for most of her life, it seems sort of strange that her recipe writing would be that “open to interpretation”. It may be more a generational thing than her inability to get her point across. Gam never had a problem getting her point across. She made her opinion very clear…often.

In my cookbook collection, I have some “antique” cookbooks that were written at a time when people, mainly women, did a lot of the cooking. Certain steps were implied, and were not written down—it was assumed the reader just knew. I would definitely put my grandmother’s handwritten recipes in this category, especially because they were written for her own use. She didn’t elaborate. That thought was underscored when I pulled out her recipe for apple chutney in anticipation of Thanksgiving leftovers.

My favorite part of Thanksgiving are the turkey sandwiches the next day and I really like them with some thickly-spread apple chutney. For me, Gam’s apple chutney is the best. But I had to read through her recipe a few times to make sure I understood her thought process. There were a few important pieces of information missing, but I managed to channel my inner Mary Jane, and figured it out.

Below is the revised recipe. Although cooking yet another dish this week might be the last thing you would like to do, keep in mind that a tasty little jar of homemade chutney makes a great gift for the hostess or that last minute gift for the person you forgot! Read more…

Apple, Onion, and Cheddar Soup

Soup to Nuts…or Nuts for Soup

OK, I admit it. I like soup. I am eating some right now, in fact. There is something about that first day when it actually feels like Fall, (My temperature gauge said it was 48º this morning.) that makes me want a cup of something warm and cozy. It also makes me think about what soup I will be making and freezing this weekend.

Canned soup is okay in a pinch, and there are some great ones available these days, but they don’t hold a candle to homemade. (Cheating by making chicken noodle with store bought broth still counts.) I have found myself grabbing for the frozen soup a lot lately. Especially after football practice or afternoon activity. (World Series anyone?) A little soup and grilled cheese, maybe a salad, and you have the makings of a quick and comforting meal.

I have been trying to branch out a bit with my recipes. I still have my favorites like the one I am eating now, but I can get bored of the same old, same old after a while. So I’ve been on a mission to find the new and interesting, and I think I found one!

I have owned a copy of the New England Soup Company Cookbook for years, but it’s one of those cookbooks that I tend to forget about. Last week I ran across it while looking for something else, and saw this recipe for Apple, Onion and Cheddar Soup. I knew I just had to try it. It’s perfect now that apples are coming into their season.

Apple, Onion, and Cheddar Soup
Adapted from Marjorie Druker
Chef/Co-Owner, New England Soup Factory

This soup is perfect during the cool fall months. It incorporates apples and cheese, which is an old-fashioned pairing for a pie in New England. The soup builds contrasting layers of sweetness, starting with the apple cider in the stock, then the caramelized onions, and finally the green apples add tartness.

Tart Cherry Frozen Yogurt

Gut Check

My sister is on a mission to convince the people in her sphere of influence to eat better, and to think about what we are putting in our bodies. Normally this would just affect her immediate family. Since we were all together up at Tahoe last week, her quest now includes my family. This is not a bad thing. My husband and I definitely need to make some changes in our diets—as do the kids, and paying attention to what exactly we are putting into our bodies is always a good idea.

The thing is, I hate diets. They are too restrictive and before you say “No kidding Genius. That’s the point.” I would like to say that It’s not the smaller amounts of food that get to me, rather I am not the kind of person who can eat the same thing over and over. That is what I mean by restrictive. I can eat more veggies. I have no problem swapping creamy mashed potatoes for the fiber of roasted sweet ones. (Okay it might be kinda painful.) I can even handle the occasional salad for lunch…if I must. I just require variety in my meals.

With that in mind, I have decided to make some of the changes that my sister is suggesting—minus the cleanse. No way is that happening. However, I’m doing it my way. More yogurt for gut health. (She’s all about the gut.) More veggies and fruits. Leaner meats, and way less red meat. Whole grains. Basically the obvious stuff. The key is that I am going to try to do it by eating the way people used to eat, and not buy the pre-packaged stuff. We’re going to eat REAL food.

It might be difficult at first, and certainly painful for me as the cook, but I think it will be a good thing all around. Once it becomes habit my kids will reach for a carrot rather than the crackers. I’ll let you know how it goes. School starts next week and I am sure there will be some discontent when the kids see their “new lunches”.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it has to all be bad, especially with the following recipe for Tart Cherry Frozen Yogurt adapted from Love and Lemons. If you make your own yogurt (which is incredibly easy by the way) so much the better…

Watermelon Gazpacho With Chile and Feta Cheese

That’s Usin’ Your Melon!
After an extended vacation and a lot of driving, we’re back home and I am looking for some good “real” food. It can be fun eating out, but eventually I get tired of shouting in a clown’s mouth and want to have a normal, family dinner around our kitchen table. I know. How very Norman Rockwell…

I gotta say, I’m pretty tired. So as much as I want a real meal, I also want it to be easy and perfect for the warm weather. Luckily, I have a recipe that covers both.

Last month at our Tyler Florence cookbook dinner, one of the recipes I went crazy for was the Watermelon Gazpacho with Chile and Feta Cheese. Just so you know, I don’t like watermelon—which makes my love of this recipe weird. But it’s good…really good. And it is made almost entirely in the blender. Nothing is easier than that. Add to that the fact that my tomatoes are abundant and melons are at the peak of their season, and you just can’t go wrong with this one. Read more…