It seems we migrated into Fall without hardly noticing.

Maybe we’ve been a bit distracted from watching our own personal worth drop with every foot of the ticker tape¦or watching our nation’s delicate financial markets holding the world’s economy at bay¦or watching Presidential debates and waiting for the candidates to give us a real, detailed “change management” agenda.

Nevertheless, Fall is here and some glorious autumn colors are bound to show their reds and golds very soon, perhaps in your part of the world.  Aside from everyone’s woes and jitters, people still gotta eat, and easy is the name of the game for some of our favorite fall one dish dinners with an international flavor.

Following are Easy, Cheap, and Good (ECG) one dish dinners that you can find recipes for on many different websites. The links below to these one dish dinners are generally close to recipes I have made, although some of these websites offer several recipe choices:

USA
Macaroni & Cheese
In this selection of one dish dinner recipes from Delish.com, you are bound to find at least one that suits your fancy for bubbling cheese and macaroni casserole baked fresh in the oven. One of my favorite dishes is mac & cheese with a side of steamed broccoli.

ITALY
Chicken Cacciatore
Wonderful and authentic rustic recipes for this typical stew-like one dish dinner comes to us from Martha Stewart.com. This Chicken Cacciatore is a true cool-weather comfort dish from the Italian countryside, and is great served with pasta.

HUNGARY
Potato & Sausage Soup
A friend from the old country of Hungary used to make a similar hearty soup from scratch, but this very easy one dish dinner soup recipe from Taste of Home.com gives some shortcuts. Some crusty French bread would round out the meal.

INDIA
Chicken Curry
To me, a curry one dish dinner is great any time of year, but it is especially good in the Fall, as this Chicken Curry recipe from Cooks.com shows. Serve over rice or with cooked lentils, and perhaps with some heat-absorbing sides like cucumbers, plain yogurt, or mild chutneys.

MEXICO
Enchiladas
The homemade goodness of these enchiladas are almost legendary, and come from the folks at AllRecipes.com.  It originated as a family one dish dinner recipe, but you can scroll down the page to check out the other enchilada options, and be sure to have sour cream, cilantro and salsa available

CHINA
Seafood Hot Pot
After the Summer Olympics in China this year, I remembered making a similar Chinese Hot Pot one dish dinner years ago when communal dining was all the rage. This one is from Emeril Lagasse of  FoodNetwork.com fame, and it uses wonderfully fresh ingredients and a savory broth.

There you have it. A week’s worth of fall favorite one dish dinner ideas and some recipes to inspire. Some are even worthy of adding to your recipe software generated family cookbook.

Happy Cookbooking!

Erin

I was in a tizzy over what to make for the ladies. It was my turn to host the monthly tea gathering and I wanted to make something different to see if I could be the tea party hostess with the mostest.Continue reading→

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food.  They can be lumpy, smooth, thick, or thin, and they will still be delicious.  Mashed potatoes have a certain quality that makes fans know “everything will be okay.”

Mashed potatoes are versatile, and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Whether steamed, boiled, or broiled, mashed potatoes can be among the easiest of foods to prepare. Although not based on scientific evidence, it seems the texture of mashed potatoes also has something to do with its popularity as a comfort food.

5 Ways to Make a Splash with Mashed Potatoes

1. Sauté 1 cup chopped onions and 1 cup sauerkraut together and stir into your favorite basic mashed potatoes. Top with crumbled bacon or bacon bits and you have a great Oktoberfest-style dish to serve alongside bratwurst.

2. Add 1 cup finely diced ham and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to leftover mashed potatoes for a hearty all-in-one approach to dinner.

3. Snip 1 teaspoon of fresh young rosemary and add to cold or room temperature mashed potatoes. Heat in microwave for a few minutes until warm, then add ½ stick butter and 1 teaspoon powdered oregano. Stir well, and then continue heating in microwave until bubbly.

4. Mix 2 ounces of cream cheese and 2 ounces of sour cream into hot mashed potatoes. Plop in some strong horseradish (to taste) and salt, and serve alongside hot sliced beef.

5. Stir ¼ cup of fresh Parmesan cheese, 2 cloves crushed garlic, and 1 teaspoon dried Italian parsley into mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes as a comfort food has long been recognized in the culinary world and academia. With winter coming upon us in mere weeks, it makes sense to get our mashed potato recipe repertoire all figured out, (and go buy the items needed to have a full-blown mashed potato experience!)

Happy Cookbooking,

Erin

In most every family cookbook there is a special recipe for corned beef and cabbage. It’s a true American invention to celebrate the Irish roots of many immigrants who fled to the United States after hard times.

Corned beef and cabbage: perfect for St Patrick’s Day

Few Irish actually could afford to eat corned beef, and if they did, it was a rare occasion.

Whether a real or make-believe tradition, having a nice slice of corned beef with a little cabbage and some boiled potatoes surely is not a bad thing. After all, the corned beef and cabbage meal ranks right up there with the turkey and stuffing tradition at Thanksgiving.

I like to make my corned beef and cabbage in a slow cooker. It is juicy and tender, and has a wonderful flavor. Plus, it is very easy!

I call my dish Lucky Corned Beef and Cabbage.

Lucky Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
• 3 cups water
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 pound carrots, cut into chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
• 1 head cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions

In a large hot skillet, sear the corned beef brisket a few minutes until brown on both sides. This helps seal in the juices and adds flavor to the meat.

De-glaze the pan with the water and add it to the slow cooker’s crock.  Place browned corned beef brisket into the water and top with contents of the spice packet (press the spices into the meat if you can).

Add the onion, potato, and carrot chunks. Add garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper (use more or less as you prefer). Arrange cabbage wedges on top of everything.

Cover and slow cook for 8 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Remove bay leaf before serving with whole grain mustard or creamed horseradish.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Add a nip of Irish Whiskey and whipped cream to some coffee for your dessert, and you’ve really got something almost Irish. After all, everyone in America is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy Cookbooking,

Erin

Soon there will be traditional tailgating parties and potlucks to contend with as the crisp air of autumn beckons neighbors and strangers to gather for one common cause — football.

If you are lucky enough to volunteer to bring a dessert, you can’t go wrong with these delicious but easy mini-tarts that get their quickness from ready-made vanilla wafers. I don’t know where the recipe originated, but here are two slightly different versions that are sure to please hungry game-goers, game-watchers, or other gathering crowds.

Mini-Tarts  – Version 1
These are the first mini-tarts I ever tasted, and I remember how remarkably quick and easy they always are to make.

1 package cupcake liners
2 8 oz. bricks cream cheese, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Vanilla Wafers
Pie filling, jam or preserves

Mix first five ingredients for the mini-tarts together with fork, eggbeaters or an electric mixer until filling is light and fluffy. Put one vanilla wafer in each cupcake liner. Spoon cream cheese mixture over vanilla wafer until each liner is two-thirds full. Bake in 350 degree—¦ oven for 20-25 minutes until filling is just set.  Cool in pans. Top with your choice of pie filling, jam or preserves.  Makes about 20 mini-tarts.

Mini-Tarts – Version 2
I have successfully substituted almond or coconut flavoring in this recipe, which leaves out the lemon juice, and has a different temperature for baking. Both recipe versions are easy to make and taste great.

1 package foil cupcake liners
2 8 oz. bricks cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
12  Vanilla Wafers
Pie filling, jam or preserves

Use foil liners with a vanilla wafer placed on the bottom of each cupcake liner. Mix cream cheese, sugar and eggs until well blended. Add vanilla and mix well. Fill liners to approximately ¾ full on top of the vanilla wafer. Bake in a 325 degree—¦ oven for 25 minutes, or until filling is set firm. Cool. Top with pie filling, preserves, fruit, sugared pecans, toasted coconut, or shaved chocolate. Makes about 20.

I have had this recipe for a long time, and have added it to my family cookbook already. You may want to add this one to your family recipe cookbook, too. Just cut your favorite version and paste it into your own family cookbook template.

Happy cookbooking

Erin

Let me in on some of my favorite tips for perfect chocolate chip cookies that will definitely be going in my own family cookbook:

1. Resist temptation and let the dough sit for 36 hours in the fridge. This allows the liquids in the dough to penetrate the flour. Deeper penetration gives the chocolate chip cookies a richer flavor and a more consistent color and texture. Apparently all the great cookie bakeries in New York follow this advice.
2. Six inches is the ideal size for chocolate chip cookies. It gives you three zones–the crunchier rim, the soft center, and that great in-between zone that has the most flavor. Any smaller and they lose those interior zones. Any bigger and I find them impossible to flip!
3. Sprinkle some sea salt on top to give it added dimension right before baking.

Here are the ingredients listed in my personal recipe:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or feves, at least 60 percent cacao content

Sea salt. Bake at 350° F for 18-20 minutes.

My advice is to forgo the chocolate disks if you can’t get them and just use good ol’ fashioned Nestle semi sweet chocolate chips.

Erin

I made these last year for Thanksgiving and they were such a hit.  I was asked to please, please make them for this year!  So here you go.  So simple!  You only need three ingredients to make these super simple Acorn Treats, and it made my kids, ahem, squirrely for more! 

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 35 min. + chilling

During the summer, I simply cannot eat enough fresh home grown tomatoes. The flavor of a just-picked tender home grown tomato is unsurpassed, and conjures a fond memory of grandma’s table with loads of fresh vegetables from her bountiful garden.

Perhaps that is why I still have a tomato bush, year in, year out. There is something compelling about home grown tomatoes. In fact, I once heard someone say that if you don’t know what to talk about with a stranger, even a famous one, the subject of home grown tomatoes always breaks the ice.

To make one of my favorite Christmas dinner dishes — a simple savory pie made with fresh home grown tomatoes, mayonnaise, cheese, and a pie shell — I have to plan ahead. Before the frost hits, I ceremoniously pick any remaining tomatoes on my vine (which typically are still green). I wrap up the tomatoes in newspaper or paper towels and place them in a lightweight container (like a Styrofoam cooler). Then I add one medium size apple (any kind) to the container, and cover it all with the lid.  Like a Christmas miracle, the home grown tomatoes will ripen slowly and burst with flavor as if they’d been kissed by the sun.

Below is a family recipe from my family cookbook for single-crust home grown tomato pie, a Christmas tradition in our house that is lovely served warm as a side dish, and just as wonderful all by itself.

Matilda’s Christmas Tomato Pie

frozen pie shell, baked 15 minutes according to package directions
5 ripe medium tomatoes, sliced thick
1 cup Best Foods mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt & pepper, to taste

Slice the ripe home grown tomatoes and fan the slices around the bottom of the partially cooked pie shell. Sprinkle tomatoes generously with salt and pepper. Combine mayonnaise and cheddar cheese, then spread this mixture evenly over the top, making sure all tomatoes are covered. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Topping should be slightly browned. Slice and enjoy.

Some cooks, like Paula Deen, prefer their tomato pie with herbs and several cheeses, but I’m more of a purist and prefer the true tomato taste. See which one you like best, and by all means, please include this recipe in your family cookbook, if you so desire. Once you try home grown tomato pie, you’ll wonder how you’ve survived Christmas dinner without it.

Happy Cookbooking,

Erin

A quick google search of course brings you to heavy hitters like AllRecipes.com and FoodNetwork.com, but sometimes you want quality over quantity (and clever people who know how to top search engines). Besides, a lot of the recipes on those sites are kind of bland, or have been modified 20 ways until Tuesday to make palatable in the comments, which means what gets voted up isn’t actually what was cooked.

Here are a few of my own favorite recipe websites organized for carefully curated cooking content:

1. Serious Eats has a fantastic Food Lab column that I love.  Beautiful easy-to-follow photographed instructions and fantastic recipes. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is a genius! Plus, they describe not only what you are doing but why, which can be helpful in learning cooking in general.
2. The Kitchn is another genius recipe site organized with just fantastic quality. You’ll be in there for years trying to get through it all.
3. I love Nonna’s Cooking for it’s super-simple interface and lots of user additions.
   

   Beth from Budget Bytes

4. Budget Bytes is the best site on the internet for cooking within your means! Beth not only tells you how to cook, but what it’ll cost per dish. Smart.
5. BBC Good Foods proves that the British do indeed cook well.
6. Food Wishes does a really good job with photography and youtubes of the dishes. Browse there and get hungry! Here’s a nice one I made recently:
7. Saveur has more of an international, experimental flare, as does
8. Smitten Kitchen is great for it’s fantastic recipes organized by seasonality.
9. The New York Times cooking section is brilliant because they thoroughly test everything, and the selection is enormous.

Well, these are my faves. What do you look for?

Good cookbooking!

Erin

Want to try making fried chicken like the Colonel? We don’t have the Official Recipe, but our test kitchen came up with the closest equivalent. Give it a shot!

1 frying chicken, cut into frying pieces
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Pkt. (dry) Good Seasons Italian Dressing (The 11 or so herbs and spices!)
1 Envelope Lipton (or other brand) Tomato Cup of Soup
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
Vegetable oil to cover bottom of your skillet; about 1/2 inch deep.

1. Combine eggs and milk. Set aside.
2. Combine flour with the Italian dressing and soup mix.
3. Dip chicken pieces in milk-egg mixture and roll them in the
flour-seasoning mixture. Repeat procedure.
4. Fry pieces over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, turning often.
5. Remove from fire. Drain and serve.

The New York Times has a fantastic collection of cold soup recipes on their site. The secret to cold soup is that it has to be ICE COLD, not luke warm. Not even kind of cold. It must rattle your teeth with its icy goodness!

I took the above screenshot of the page because I just loved the layout. Follow the link to learn all the recipes, but here’s my favorite:

Vichyssoise

Ingredients

Butter

Potatoes

Leeks

Stock

Cream

Chives

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot. Add 3 peeled and cubed potatoes and 3 trimmed and chopped leeks. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add 4 cups stock. Boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Purée, then let cool. Stir in 1/2 cup or more cream before serving. Garnish: Chopped chives.

(And yes, the title of this post is a slight allusion to one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes.)