Meal Remix: Take Two

With Thanksgiving now behind us, I ponder the leftovers from our bountiful meal which were not left behind only to fill the raccoons' bellies on garbage day. After this evening, there will be very little of Thanksgiving dinner remaining. We enjoyed the full meal with all of the trimmings on our Thursday holiday. On Friday, I made a delicious classic turkey pot pie which utilized some of the bird's leftover meat. On Saturday, we enjoyed a Thanksgiving redo for dinner: hot open-face sandwiches comprised of more of the turkey covering slices of leftover bread, then smothered with the leftover gravy, accompanied by leftover stuffing, leftover vegetables and some leftover cranberry sauce. Brian and I agreed that the food was enjoyed more the second time around, as it required a lot less bustling around the kitchen beforehand since everything was already cooked. On Sunday, Brian made a delicious pot of turkey soup, starting with homemade stock which was made from the carcass of the turkey, plus veggies and lots of herbs. He then strained it, returned the pot to the stove with the strained stock and added more vegetables - some of which were extra celery and onions which he didn't need on Thanksgiving when making the stuffing - more herbs, the last of the turkey meat and some noodles. It was a warming and comforting close to the long holiday weekend, especially when served from an old family soup tureen and ladled into equally classic blue and white Currier & Ives soup bowls, all of which I inherited from a beloved family member. There is still soup left to be enjoyed for a couple of lunches this week. Finally, the last of the leftovers will be consumed in tonight's dinner: the cranberry sauce, with a little added rosemary, will cover roasted boneless pork chops and the last of the puree of celery root, apples and potatoes will be a perfect accompaniment. The conclusion to be drawn here: we have an extremely efficient kitchen!

At a time when holiday dishes are made in joyful abundance, when hard economic times are upon us all and we need to curb our spending, and when at this time next month so many will be making their resolutions to melt away pounds off of their girth, it is the perfect time to talk about leftovers. The unfortunate picture which comes to mind at the mention of leftovers is less than appetizing. Most of us envision a plate of cold basic meat which was cooked a day or two before, with very small mounds of the exact same vegetables that originally accompanied it. Even when warmed in a microwave, this presentation does little to beckon us to dinner. Let's face it, to simply place the exact same items from the previous night's meal on the table with no alterations made to them, you will not receive raving enthusiasm from those who hesitantly approach the dinner table. With some exceptions, most meals which are fabulous the first time around in their original state, fresh from the oven or stove, are just not as satisfying the second time around. Exceptions to this rule include stews, soups, chili, lasagna and a very meager handful of other entrees. The result: extra food either goes out with the trash to feed the local wildlife on their midnight garbage can raids, or it is tucked into the far reaches of your refrigerator and forgotten, unless your child happens to be performing a mold-growing experiment for their science class. With minimal time and preparation, you can turn most leftovers into a whole new dish, thus wasting very little food and you will probably find yourself resorting to calorie-laden, artery-clogging and blood pressure-raising take-out lunches a little less frequently.

As I've already illustrated, from our Thanksgiving feast we found ways to present most of the leftover components of the meal into whole new meals without too much extra effort. Granted, due to the overzealous nature of holiday cooking we did have a lot to work with. However, we utilize leftovers all year, not just at holiday time. It takes a little bit of planning, but very little preparation. For those of you who are fortunate enough to partake in lunch at work, leftovers can be a giant first step in eating healthier and keeping those extra pounds off. Brian takes leftover food for lunch every day and has managed to keep his weight under control, which also leads to enormous health benefits in the long run. The alternative would be to eat McDonalds and Taco Bell five days a week and look like many of the other patrons of these establishments. Sometimes these leftovers are just that, leftovers, because I simply made too much for two the night before. Sometimes the leftovers are planned, instead of making two chicken breasts when I cook dinner I'll prepare three with the intention of sending him off to work the next day with the extra one for lunch. When I cook vegetables for dinner, I purposely cook extra portions with the same intent. Other times the leftovers are the result of cleaning out the refrigerator: I'll go through the drawers and if there are some vegetables that I never cooked up because I purchased too many for my needs, and they really need to be consumed within the next couple of days, then I'll cut them up, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast them. Then he has veggies for two or three lunches after that.

For dinners, which are likely to be more about savoring your food and less about healthier lunch time choices, you will need to be more creative to make the meal more enjoyable. You will want to present round two of the chicken from last night in a whole new light. If you made a roast chicken last night, shred any leftover meat off of the bones and it can be used in a soup, on a pizza, in tacos or enchiladas, in pasta dishes and in salads. If you are making spaghetti with red sauce and meatballs tonight, make extra sauce and meatballs to serve up heros the next day, and make extra pasta as well to serve with a pesto sauce on another day as an accompaniment for baked chicken or fish. Planning such as this will lead to dinner prep shortcuts and make the weekday dinner rush a lot easier. Always remember, soups and stews and salads were traditionally fabricated from whatever was on hand. If you keep a well stocked pantry and plenty of fresh seasonal vegetables in your fridge, the sky is the limit for what you can create. Even keeping a well stocked pantry will still be less costly in the long run than being forced to buy take-out for dinner several nights a week because your overworked schedule didn't leave you enough time to cook up a whole new meal. Make those leftovers work for you once or twice a week; you will see a difference in what you spend and you will also feel better about not wasting food. Have you scrutinized your grocery receipts lately? Good food is not cheap! Stretch the food, and you'll stretch your dollars, and with a little creativity you won't have to compromise on taste and visual interest in your dinner plate.

As I have mentioned in a previous blog, use your freezer. Make extra red pasta sauce, ladle the extra sauce into quart containers and freeze for a future quick weekday meal. It can be used not only on pasta, but also over baked chicken topped with some fresh mozzarella. Extra pesto sauce can be frozen as well, for future use in pastas, spread on pizza crust or in panini rolls, over fish or chicken, or tossed with vegetables. If you are making a soup from scratch, as Brian did, make extra stock and freeze it. The next time you want to throw a quick soup together, you've cut out the first step. Got leftover French or Italian bread from dinner? Freeze it. No, it will not make for a good bread as an accompaniment for next month's dinner. However, you will never have to buy breadcrumbs again. Next time you make a meatloaf, just thaw the bread, then pulvarize it in the food processor, and voila! You've got breadcrumbs. When making certain desserts such as quick breads, make an extra loaf and freeze it. You'll have a quick baked good to serve for that unexpected afternoon visitor, and any leftover will serve as a quick breakfast treat.

Next time you cook dinner, plan. Ask yourself: if I make a little extra of this meat and/or that vegetable, how can I utilize it later in the week? I've given you a few ideas, and I can even give you a few more suggestions on how to use up the Thanksgiving leftovers. Cranberry sauce makes an excellent topping for salmon steaks or filets as well as pork chops or a roast pork tenderloin. Prepare the meat with some savory seasonings, then top with the cranberry sauce for the last five minutes of roasting. A thin layer of mustard on the pork and a sprinkling of either fresh rosemary or thyme will marry well with the sweetness of the cranberry sauce. If you have leftover vegetables from the big feast, refresh them with the addition of one or two different newly cooked vegetables mixed in. Leftover mashed potatoes can be used as a topping for a shepherd pie; or, with a couple of additions such as cheese and scallions mixed in, a filling for twice-baked potatoes. Leftover stuffing can be used to fill large mushroom caps; once heated through, serve the stuffed mushrooms on a bed of salad greens and you have a perfect lunch. As for the desserts, well, I suspect that if you actually do have leftover pies, you will have no trouble offering them up for breakfasts or afternoon snacks, and no doctoring will be required!

This blog's recipe will allow you to utilize some of the leftover ham from the holidays, in a hearty five-bean soup. If you would like the recipe, send me your request in a comment. Don't forget to include an e-mail address, and I'll be happy to pass it along and help you get started in planning for leftovers. If you visited this blog through Facebook, you can simply send me a message.

Boil, Boil, Toil and Trouble

Boil, boil, toil and trouble! Okay, perhaps Halloween is indeed behind us, but as the autumn winds grow stronger and the days darker, shorter and colder for the duration of the next four to five months here in the northeast, nothing warms right through to the soul like an aromatic, bubbling pot of soup, stew or chili at the close of a long tough day. In this second part of a three part series on kitchen essentials, I'm going to focus on the second most important item in your kitchen: the pots.

Just as I emphasized in part one about knives, I am going to repeat myself (this is intentional, do not report me to the alzheimers treatment center just yet): pots are in the top two of equipment which your kitchen cannot thrive without, you will use them for life; buy quality now so that you will not need to do so later after wasting money the first time around.

There are a multitude of pots and pans available on the market. Let's begin with sizes and styles. As with knives, there are many styles, some which you need and some which you may not. A large sautee pan is perhaps one of the most frequently used pans in my kitchen. An extra large frying pan with three-to-four-inch sides and a cover, you would use this for sauteeing vegetables, browning pork chops, cooking shrimp or scallops, and preparing typical skillet dishes such as jambalaya or a paella. You will also use a frying pan frequently, particularly when preparing a nice weekend breakfast. For both of these items, nonstick is preferred, you don't want to have to get into a Sunday morning wrestling match with your sunny-side eggs to surrender them from the pan.

Nonstick pots and pans are very popular, as they need only simple cleanup and even with minimal use of oil or butter food slips nicely out of the pan into the awaiting serving dish or dinner plate. However, they will not last a lifetime. On a newlywed's budget, I started out with a set of inexpensive nonstick pots and pans. They worked well, at first; after five years, they were done. In fact, the frequently-used sautee pan had to be replaced after two. I then moved up to Circulon brand, which seemed a considerable improvement; although, once again, the most frequently-used pieces had to be replaced about two years ago. I have begun replacing some of the pieces with Calphalon, which I have concluded is the best. They are not cheap, however you can come upon very good sales prices when shopping on foodnetwork.com. Don't go searching for a particular pot or pan when visiting this website; simply browse occasionally and you will find different Calphalon pots and pans at deeply discounted prices. Avoid placing nonstick cookware in your dishwasher, hand wash them with mild dish detergent and a sponge, leave the steel wool pads under the sink as they will only scratch the nonstick surface of your cookware. When you purchase a nonstick pan, be sure that you also have some nylon cooking utensils to use with them, as a metal fork or spatula will also scratch the nonstick surface. Once that happens, the nonstick quality of your pan is compromised.

The next critical vessel in cookware is the Dutch oven, a cast iron piece of cookware named for the casting method originally implemented in the Netherlands and also for the use of such pots by the Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in the 1700s. These pots are used for moist cooking, such as a braised lamb shank dish, a beef or chicken stew, or chili and soups. It is essentially a large pot, traditionally made from cast iron, with a snug-fitting lid and either a bale handle or a pair of 'ear' handles on the sides. For those of you who have been putting off that daily trek to the gym, the guilt trip ends here: you will get your weight-training workout when carrying one of these pots, filled with the evening's fare, from the stove to your table; these pots are heavy! Perhaps the most prominent name in such cookware is Le Creuset. These pots are made from cast iron and sport colorful enamel coating to match your kitchen, give a seasonal burst of color to your table or just to satisfy your whimsy for a little fun color when presenting your starring entree. For my first Le Creuset pot I wanted one in kiwi green! One of these pots in a fun, bright color, is an attractive adornment to an open shelf in your kitchen. Le Creuset, made in France, are excellent pots. They are expensive, but they will last a lifetime, you absolutely will be able to pass them down to your children. I have a close friend who was married last year. Her in-laws gave the couple a pair of vintage-colored Le Creuset pots, still in respectable condition, from their own earlier years of marriage. These Dutch ovens can sustain the heat of the stovetop as well as the oven, which are commonly used in combination when preparing stews. I would recommend purchasing two of these pots, one in a five-quart size and another in seven quarts. These are the pots which you will utilize all winter long, allowing the aromas of warming soups and stews to beckon your family to the table promptly. I would also recommend acquiring a cast iron grill pan, also for the purpose of browning meat, such as a steak, on the stove and then transferring it into the oven to finish cooking. A grill pan is basically a cast iron skillet with raised ridges on the cooking surface to produce grill marks on your tuna steaks and also to allow the excess fat to drain from your Porterhouse. When purchasing cast iron cookware which is not enamel-coated, buy "pre-seasoned" if possible. Otherwise, cast iron needs to be seasoned by rubbing the cooking surface with a film of oil and baking it in the oven. This aids in producing a somewhat non-stick surface in your pan.

Add to your shopping list a couple of saucepans; these are the specimens which look like typical pots with long handles and lids. These are the pots in which you will prepare rice and boil eggs or vegetables. A good start would be to purchase a two-quart and a three-quart for your collection. I would also highly recommend such a pot with a steamer basket insert for steaming healthy vegetables. Lastly, if you prepare pasta frequently, a pasta pot is helpful. It is a large pot with small handles on both sides and a strainer insert with similar handles. Able to perform double duty, if you ever need a very large pot for another purpose, such as cooking a lobster or preparing a homemade stock for instance, you can simply omit the strainer and use just the pot. For all of these items, I recommend stainless steel. It is easy to clean, it will also transfer well from stovetop to oven, and it will last for many years. Beware, there are inexpensive stainless steel brands on the market - you get what you pay for in quality! When studying the pots in the store, pick one up; it should have some weight to it. If it seems as light as a nonstick pot, it is probably not the best quality out there. Also pay attention to the knobs on the lids and the handles of the pot; they should also be made of stainless steel. If they do not have the same appearance as the pot, they are likely made from plastic and will not withstand higher oven temperatures. Some stainless steel pots have a layer of copper sandwiched into the bottom of the pan, as copper is an excellent conductor of heat. There are exclusively-copper pots available, such as Bourgeat from France, which are wonderful for cooking, but if you find you have to make time to cook for your family every evening, are you really a candidate for finding the time to keep them polished? Personally, I would much rather spend that time catching up with my family at the dinner table. They are rather high-maintenance, unless you reap enjoyment from polishing metal, I would steer away from copper. You may also see pots made from aluminum. Those which are anodized, that is, finished with other metals such as stainless steel, are fine. However those which are not labeled as anodized tend to darken and pit, and impose discoloration and at times even a metallic flavor unto foods with acidic ingredients such as tomatoes. So what would I recommend in the way of stainless steel brands? The top of the line in stainless steel cookware is reigned by All Clad. If such a splurge is not in your budget, Cuisinart makes a line of perfectly acceptable stainless steel.

There are a few other pots and pans which, if your budget is limited because you are aiming for quality, you really don't need. One example is the double boiler. A double boiler is a traditional pot, plus an insert which rests on top and is used to melt chocolates, prepare custards and frostings and melt cheeses. The point is to be able to have enough heat to accomplish these tasks without the substance actually touching a hot pot which is sitting directly atop a scorching burner. You can accomplish the same task simply by using a regular pot and instead resting a large Pyrex mixing bowl on the pot, making sure that the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the boiling water underneath.

As with the knives, I have recommended the basic pots and pans which just about everyone needs and will use regularly. There are only nine, so try to save up enough to splurge on the better brands and they will last if properly cared for. If you find yourself desiring an extra pot in a different size, you can always build on to your collection at a later date. I don't recommend cleaning any pot in the dishwasher, all of the pots that I mentioned will clean relatively easily by hand. For tougher cleanups, soak the pot overnight and it will be ready to wipe clean in the morning. When washing your Le Creuset pots, use extra care not to bang them against the sides of the sink, as the enamel coating can chip. Try not to use metal utensils in any pots, as no matter what the pot is made of, metal can scratch. Lastly, avoid using nonstick pots and Le Creuset on the high setting of the stovetop. If you need high heat to bring water to a boil, use the stainless steel.

If you have not spent your full pot allowance after buying your pots and the proper cooking utensils to use with them, you might want to splurge your last few dollars on a soup and/or stew cookbook to inspire christening your new cookware. There are also excellent recipes for free on both foodnetwork.com and epicurious.com Mothers and grandmothers are also great resources for comforting old-fashioned stew and soup recipes. And then you can always seek inspiration from yours truly. Starting with this article, I will be offering a recipe for each blog, usually one which pertains to the subject matter. This blog's recipe is for Chicken Corn Chowder. If you are interested, make your request in the comments section and be sure to include your e-mail address; I will e-mail you the recipe. Now it's time for me to go and stir the cauldron, uh, I mean, pot; as I kick off the stew season with a chicken stew with mushrooms, shallots and wine.

Choose Your Weapons

Over the next couple of months, I will be writing about tools and equipment that are most essential in your kitchen. We have all given in to temptation and purchased very task-specific gadgets and/or small appliances for our kitchens; they were used once or twice and then the novelty wore off and they are now relegated to that hard-to-reach cabinet high over the refrigerator. Whether you are starting out in your first kitchen or revamping your old one, there are just a few key items that are critical in cooking, things that no home cook can live without, and today I am going to talk about the first of these items: knives.

Every kitchen should be stocked with a few very sharp, high quality knives. They should be easily accessible, such as in a knife storage block kept on the counter where you most often tackle your chopping, mincing, slicing and dicing. Hardly a meal gets prepared without some act of cutting involved. Most chefs consider their knives their most valued possession and care for them meticulously. A friend of mine had a son who was enrolled in one of the culinary arts institutes. Soon after beginning his education, he purchased his very-prized cutlery set. My friend would come home from work to find her son sitting in the kitchen, conscientiously sharpening his knives; a habit she found only mildly disturbing at first, until it became as familiar a site as coming home to her pouncing pooch who welcomed her at the door.

Starting with a little personal knife anecdote, my paternal grandfather was a professional chef. A few years ago I inherited a couple of his knives. They are impressive in appearance; one in particular looks like something you could pose with if you wish to be Jack Sparrow from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' this Halloween. It's very long and has a nice curve to the blade. It's huge. I only recently felt brave enough to play with it, on a night when I was not in any hurry to have dinner completed in a timely manner. I sharpened it, and it cuts incredibly well. Perhaps too well. I'm sure with practice I could grow to love it and make it my go-to weapon of choice when sparring with a butternut squash; but at this time it still feels very unwieldy. In the meantime, it's a nice sentimental piece that somehow makes me feel connected to my grandfather when I embark in our common interest of cooking. I only wish that he had lived long enough to taste some of my dishes and know that I inherited his talent and passion.

When selecting your purchase, buy something that you will actually feel comfortable using on a very regular basis, and buy quality. When Brian and I were engaged and I was stockpiling new things for our future home together, the budget was tight. I also hadn't yet embraced gourmet cooking and had very little knowledge about the different choices of knives and pots and such. I bought a cheap set of knives from one of the discount stores. I thought that they were adequate for my needs at the time, having never pulled a very sharp blade of a top-quality knife through a vegetable's flesh before. After four years or so, the knives were dull and they fell apart a year or two after that. Those were replaced with a set of J.A. Henckle knives, one of the most prominent names in cutlery. That is when I saw firsthand how much better they were. I would strongly recommend that if you can possibly make the investment, consider either Henckle or Wusthof. Both are respected brands of excellence; they will last for many, many years to come. Shun knives are also very respected in the world of slicing and mincing.

When you begin your field study of knives in the stores and chef catalogs, you will be faced with many choices even within the one or two above-mentioned brands. Which ones do you really need? There are sets containing as many as 8 to 10 different knives; and knives which are sold individually seem to offer up even more options. If you happen to be a career chef in a five star restaurant, perhaps there is the need for such a plethora of different blades. As an avid home cook foodie, you can relax in the knowledge that your budget and your storage space need not be compromised. One reason you can splurge on the more expensive, better quality brand of knives is that you need only purchase five to six of them. The critical must-have pieces of cutlery that I would recommend for all of your cutting needs are an unserrated 6-inch utility knife, a serrated bread knife, a paring knife, a chef's knife, a 7-inch hollow-edge Santoku knife, and a meat-slicing knife. The bread knife and the meat slicing knife are self-explanatory, used most commonly at the dinner table when serving the meal; the paring knife is used primarily for peeling and the chef's knife assists in tackling big jobs such as cutting up a whole chicken into pieces. The Santoku knife and utility knife are the ones that will be used the most in prepping ingredients for the pots, pans and salad bowls. A Santoku knife has a blade with circular indents along the side. It makes cutting even the toughest vegetable, such as a butternut squash, very easy; the blade slices right through its victim as though slicing through butter. These knives will also cut a very ripe tomato in half with ease, rather than merely squashing it into a mess on your cutting board. Those are the essential knives. If you see a set which includes all of these, plus a set of kitchen scissors, you will be all set to unleash your chopping and slicing urges. If the set also contains a set of steak knives, that will be something which you will benefit from at the table as well. Additional tools labeled as sandwich knife and tomato knife are really unnecessary. Same goes for the cleaver unless you're an avid hunter and bring home whole carcasses to butcher. Unless you perform the tasks of boning and filleting on a very routine basis, I would skip those as well. Many of the basic cutlery sets come with a wooden block which keeps your knives close at hand and safely tucked away. There are also magnetic strips which can be installed on the wall, and the blades of your cutlery magnically adhere to it. I would not recommend this option for households with younger children or pets.

When purchasing your knives, add a knife sharpener to your shopping list. It is important to keep your cutlery in sharp working order; and when you have had a tough day, the very act of sharpening your knives can be a satisfying stress reliever, provided that the intended victim afterwards is your onion or carrot and not your boss or your ex! There are sharpening stones, with which you sharpen your knife by repeatedly striking the blade along this tool. There are also electric sharpeners and there are manual counter top devices with a slot through which you simple pull the blade of your knife through a couple of times to sharpen and hone the blade. Whichever method you choose, be sure to use it correctly and keep your knives sharp at all times. As counter intuitive as this may sound, a dull blade is more dangerous than a sharp one. A sharpened blade means cutting with ease and precision; a dull blade means a struggle to get that hard vegetable cut through, resulting in a chopped finger or sliced thumb in the process. Been there myself, done that; save yourself a trip to the emergency room, nobody likes blood in their potato salad! Always keep your fingers bent out of the way nonetheless and use the proper knife for the specific job at hand.

One more item to cross off of your shopping list while you are purchasing cutlery: a surface on which to cut your veggies and meats. Unless you have a butcher block table already, I would recommend purchasing two cutting boards. The safety police have toggled back and forth between which is more sanitary, wood or polypropylene. Personal choice, I like wooden ones; Boos is a reputable brand. Be sure to buy two, preferably two of differing size or appearance so that they don't get mixed up. Designate one which will be strictly for meat alone. The second one can be used for all other ingredients. The idea is to avoid cross-contamination of bacteria from the meats to your produce. I have a wood butcher block table as well as two wooden boards for produce and a polypropylene board for meats. Be sure to thoroughly hand wash your boards after each use, as well as your knives. Do not place your prize Wusthofs in the dishwasher.

On your way home, you might want to stop at the supermarket for some meat and vegetables; you will want a good excuse to play with your new "toys" and the result can be a fabulous stew for your family's dinner. In summary, buy the best quality and if cared for properly your cutlery will last for years of family feasts. Only buy the basic pieces you really need and you can splurge on that better brand. The knives in your kitchen are perhaps the most critically important of all kitchen purchases, as you will use them in the preparation of almost every meal you cook. I'm feeling inspired now, I think I'll go take Grandpa's big knife out for a go on the butcher block.

Time to Pick On the Apples!

October is now upon us, the signs are evident: colorful leaves carried on the cooling winds that blow, autumnal hues popping up on every landscape, and hand-painted signs at local farms inviting us all to a day of fresh air, pumpkin picking and apple picking. We all participate in the annual pilgrimage to select the perfect pumpkins for our decorative ideas. These pumpkins are usually destined for a date with the carving knife in their quest to become jack-o-lanterns on our front steps and in our windows. While there are a few comforting dishes which call for pumpkin, such as pumpkin bread or pumpkin soup, the apple seems a much more versatile specimen.

Now is the season to celebrate the apple. The apple has held many bookmarks in literature and culture throughout the ages. Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden apple. Snow White took a bite of the poisoned apple, plunging her into history's record longest comatose state. The famous Halloween party activity is that of bobbing for apples. A proud father informs his much-adored daughter "You're the apple of my eye." The son who displays an inherited less than admirable character trait is declared as "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Finally, medical advice is prescribed through the old adage of "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." While consuming a daily apple may not keep the doctor away completely, it certainly is rich in vitamins and nutrients, qualifies as one of the government food pyramid's recommended daily servings of fruit, and can be enjoyed in so many different ways.

For those who live on Long Island, I would recommend taking a ride to the eastern north fork. There are several farms where apple picking is welcomed, and one location in particular which Brian and I visited last week was Woodside Orchards. A variety of apples are available for harvest at varying points throughout the season. If picking the apples yourself is not your thing, there are plenty of pre-picked apples available for purchase there as well. There are so many different varieties of apples, the orchard offers the opportunity to try something new and different from the usual supermarket red delicious and granny smith. We have sampled and enjoyed some macouns and honeycrisps. My personal favorite is the Arkansas black, a deep red variety which has an ever-so-slight hint of wine flavor to it. You can also find varieties such as empires, Jonathans and winesaps. Many apple orchards also vend their own apple cider, and for the childhood sweet tooth in all of us, candied apples, caramel apples, apple pies, apple butters and cider doughnuts are also offered.

There are infinite ways in which to savor the culinary delight of the apple. Baking is perhaps the first option which comes to mind with the classic apple pie. There are many ways to amp up the classic, which is basically apples with sugar and spices baked in a pie shell. I like to add a second fruit with the apple, such as cranberries. The tartness of the cranberries balances out the sweetness of the apple very nicely. My mother makes an amazing apple tart with a cinnamon custard-like filling. Last Thanksgiving I sampled an apple pie which someone had baked using five different varieties of apples. For those who seek an even simpler option, crisps are the answer. The filling simply gets poured into a pan, then topped with a crumbled streusel mixture. I like to make a crisp with apples and pears combined. I also make an applesauce cake from a very old family recipe. Baked apples are also a very simple yet elegant presentation, filled with a little brown sugar, cinnamon and butter and baked until tender and just starting to caramelize on the cut edges. Some people stuff baked apples with a streusel and raisin mixture. The apple is not fussy, you can pair it with just about anything you like. A single apple can also enhance many savory dishes. I make a fall chicken and root vegetable pot pie which also contains wild mushrooms, chopped hazelnuts and one chopped apple. I also make a mash of potatoes with a couple of root vegetables and an apple goes into that as well. The flexible apple also has the ability to take on a co-starring role in entrees. Pork chops baked with sliced apples, onions and acorn squash is a fall favorite in my house. Roasted chicken or Cornish hens take on a very nice flavor when basted with a glaze made from apple jelly. The simplest way to enjoy an apple is in its original form, either munched away to stave off the afternoon hungries until dinner, or cut into wedges and plated with a high quality cheese or two. However you choose to serve up the results of your apple picking expedition, your options are boundless.

Apples which are not destined for the baking pan can be a charming fall decor until consumed. Instead of relegating them to the refrigerator where they may be forgotten, find a container large enough to hold about eight or nine apples, such as a basket or an attractive galvanized container or decorative wooden box, all of which you can find in a craft store. Place a variety of apples in the container and leave it either as a centerpiece on the table, inviting diners to a healthy snack or dessert, or in any welcoming spot in your kitchen or living room. I like to display granny smiths, golden delicious and galas for an eye-pleasing color variety. A friend of mine displayed red delicious apples mixed with pine cones all in a big basket.

October is the peak time for fall festivals and harvests. Before we know it, Halloween has come and gone. Take advantage now of all of the produce that fall has to offer, such as acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, pears and of course apples. Make a day of it, take the family out for brunch and then spend a leisurely afternoon of always-needed quality family time as you pay homage to your local farms, orchards and vineyards. When you return home, you will reap the tasty rewards and nutritional benefits of the bounty. By storing apples in ventilated wooden crates in a very cool basement or garage, you'll be able to treat yourself for anywhere from two to four months depending upon the variety of apple and the storage conditions. After that, it is back to the supermarket for your fruit purchases. So enjoy the not-so-forbidden fruit, and the pies and other culinary delights which result from the apple's versatile and delicious enhancement.

Happy picking!

The Harvest Moon: Ingredients for Quick Winter Eats

As the harvest moon brings cooling winds and falling leaves, you might be surveying the garden plots abundant with vegetables. It will soon be time to gather them all and whisk them indoors to safety from that first frost. Once you hear that foreboding prediction from your local meteorologist, you suddenly find your kitchen counter concealed by a blanket of freshly harvested tomatoes, squashes, basil, peppers and perhaps even fruits and pumpkins. This is a golden opportunity to stock up your freezer and your pantry. By cooking up batches of culinary delights from your garden ingredients, you will have the makings of some quick weekday meals to enjoy during the winter months.

When a frost is imminent, gather all of the tomatoes from the garden, even the green ones. Tomatoes will ripen indoors, simply place the green specimens into paper bags and place the bag into a cupboard or closet for several days, checking on them periodically. Once ripened, the best use for an overabundance of tomatoes is to make a marinara pasta sauce. Anyone with an Italian grandmother has a family recipe. If you are not blessed with such a relation in your family tree, there are so many recipes out there for the basic Italian red "gravy". The ingredient list usually includes, but is not restricted to, onions, garlic, tomatoes, basil, parsley and a splash of red wine. Cook a couple of large stockpots of the sauce; then ladle into quart-sized plastic food storage containers and freeze. When you anticipate a hectic day ahead, take a container out to thaw in the refrigerator during the day. When you come home on one of those cold, dark winter evenings, all you'll have to do is boil some spaghetti, heat the sauce and you have an instant simple pasta meal. All you'll need with it is a salad, some wine, and dessert. The sauce can also be used for other dishes, such as eggplant or chicken parmesan. While you are playing in the kitchen, you can also make up a couple of trays of lasagna using some of the sauce. Have one tray that evening for dinner and freeze the other tray for a future meal, lasagna is a very freezer-friendly entree.

Pesto sauce is also ideal for making ahead and freezing for a rainy - or, in this case, snowy - day. Pesto is simply basil leaves, parsley, garlic, olive oil, grated parmesan cheese and pignoli nuts whirred together in a food processor. Once again, make several batches of this, spoon it into plastic food containers, top with a film of olive oil before covering, and freeze. Once thawed, boil some fusili pasta and toss the cooked pasta with the pesto sauce, another quick pasta dinner that will make your Italian family sing for their supper. Pesto is also excellent spread on the inside of bread for a pannini, on top of fish before roasting, and stirred into soups.

Many soups also freeze well. One favorite is to make a soup with some cut up vegetables, freeze; then when you're ready to enjoy it, add a little pasta or some tortellini when reheating, serve with a spoonful of the pesto sauce on top. I would recommend adding any pastas to your soups only at the time of reheating, otherwise the pasta tends to absorb all of the liquid of the soup. You can also use some vegetables to boil into some water with salt, pepper and seasonings of your choosing, strain, and the result will be a base vegetable stock which you can freeze for future use when making soups. Adding chicken during the boiling process will provide you with chicken broth. There are recipes for every kind of stock you will ever need to start a soup with when that warming comfort food craving strikes.

Other things you can prepare for storage in your pantry will require the purchase of some canning jars. Bell peppers can be easily turned into roasted pepper salad. Roast the peppers, let them cool, remove the peel and the seeds and tear into strips. Toss them into a homemade olive oil-balsamic vinaigrette and divide into the jars. Close the sealing lids, and you'll have roasted peppers all winter for use as a small side-dish salad, tossed into larger salads or pastas, as a filler for sandwiches or a topping for pizzas.

If you have harvested berries from your garden, make some homemade jam. There isn't much to making jam, and it can simmer in a large pot while you take care of other household tasks (like laundry or catching up on your e-mails). Once the jam is done, allow to cool to room temperature, ladle into canning jars and seal. You'll have the best and most natural topping for english muffins or scones for Sunday breakfast with your family, only a pantry door away. Another nice use would be stirred into plain yogurt, or warmed to drizzling consistency and spooned over ice cream.

Turn zucchini and pumpkins into tasty sweet breads. I have a recipe for my grandmother's pumpkin-nut bread which yields two loaves. We eat one fresh and warm the day it comes out of the oven, the other loaf I freeze for when we want an afternoon treat one winter's afternoon in front of a DVD. Zucchini bread and pumpkin bread both freeze well. Of course remember to save a few pumpkins for fall decoration and jack-o-lantern carving, a festive seasonal sentry for your front door.

If you have achieved an enthusiastic green thumb, one aspect of kitchen gardening can be enjoyed all year from your kitchen window. Herbs are very simple to grow, and add a fresher, superior flavor to dishes than their store-bought dried counterparts. If you have a sunny window sill in your kitchen, plant four to six herbs which you use most often. You can satiate your gardening needs all winter long, and benefit from that fresh herb taste in your cooking.

Finally, you may as well cook up a batch of harvest for your dinner tonight. A ratatouille is essentially a French vegetable stew, the basic ingredients being eggplant, zucchini, onion, garlic, tomato and bell pepper, plus some herbs. It makes an excellent side dish accompaniment to any meat. It is also good as a main dish when browned chicken pieces then simmer in the stew with the vegetables. Serve ratatouille over a couple of grilled portobello mushrooms, or over pasta or couscous and you have an excellent vegetarian dish. You can also add any other ingredients to the basic recipe that your creative genius comes up with: chick peas, olives, Italian sausages, saffron, whatever you find in your pantry. It's a very flexible dish, and it's a colorful way to serve up some of those harvested late summer veggies.

By devoting an autumn day to harvesting and cooking, you can be rewarded into the winter months with some nutritious and flavorful treats, courtesy of your last summer's garden. You will know exactly what ingredients went into your pasta sauce or pumpkin dessert bread. Knowing this fact and knowing that you grew the vegetables and fruits yourself make all of the above ideas comfort foods in themselves that will warm your soul as the flavors transport you back to sunny days spent toiling in your garden. By the time you eat your way through that stash of harvest goodies, it will be time to begin reflecting and planning next summer's garden!

A Farewell to Summer That Hits the Spot

Although the first official day of fall does not come around until September 22, the rapid approach of Labor Day signals that summer is coming to a close. The children return to school, the days grow shorter, the beaches start to vacate. Although we can enjoy barbecues as late as early November, the holiday weekend is a chance for one final gathering outdoors with family and friends to celebrate the end of summer. If you reflect on your favorite activities from the summer and choose a perfect spot for your festivities, you can create a perfectly elegant setting, and a short but well-thought out menu that will not have you laboring on Labor Day hardly at all.

First, say to yourself "Keep it simple, but nice." When we used to host any kind of party at home, I was always so stressed out as I scrambled to prepare several different appetizers, at least two salads plus at least two more side dishes, and two or three different desserts. I spent more time in a cooking frenzy and very little time actually having fun with my guests. We also had a tendency to try and invite all of our friends at once, which made the event even more hectic and more challenging for socializing with each and every one while trying to juggle platters and drinks. I lived and learned, and now I impart this life's lesson unto you. You can make more of a lasting impact if you stick to a much shorter menu, but make the few things really impressive. The choices may not please everybody you know, which brings us to the next simplicity. Keep the gathering small. In addition to yourself and your significant other, two to three couples, or three to five close friends, on the guest list is enough to share an enjoyable time without being overwhelmed. Finally, have a theme. In this case, in expressing a farewell to breezy summer days, think back and recall what you enjoyed doing the most over the past two to three months. Here are a few ideas to ponder.

I personally love the beach. Maybe you were among those who blissfully spent hours on the sand and in the surf till the sun went down. A beach party might be just the thing for you. Find a beach that permits campfires or grilling, then host a seafood bake. Have guests contribute different seafoods (clams, lobsters, mussels, etc.). You provide the other ingredients that go into the pot of this traditional New England fare: small potatoes and fresh corn on the cob are the basic classics. You can find recipes for all different variations of clam bakes on foodtv.com. Add to that the ingredients to mix up some sea breezes to sip while the food is cooking. Dessert can be a cheesecake from a really good bakery or, if you have a campfire going, you can all have some fun making s'mores over the flames. That's it. Three menu items, a fun way for you and your guests to all participate in dinner, all against the gorgeous backdrop of a sunset over the crashing waves.

Long Island is the place to live if you own a boat. If you spent your happiest weekends - and a few stolen "sick" days here and there - on the deck of your boat cruising to Fire Island and back, a boat picnic is a fitting tribute to summer's end. Again, a simple and short menu, think water. How about a Mediterranean repast? A hummus, eggplant dip or spinach dip are all easy to make. Whichever you choose, accompany it with some pita chips (also a snap to make). A nice bottle of Italian or French (or Long Island!) wine will be a nice accompaniment to this starter and can take you and your guests through dinner. Follow up with a Mediterranean seafood pasta salad, such as pasta with shrimp, cucumbers, red onion, plum tomatoes, crumbled feta, parsley and a lemon dressing. If one of your guests has impeccable taste, assign him or her the task of visiting their favorite bakery to pick up some good bread to have with the salad and a nice fruit tart for dessert.

For you hikers out there who like to wile away the day taking scenic walks through various parks, pick the most scenic site of your favorite park and have a simple picnic. Put together some traditional Lobster roll sandwiches, buy some high quality potato chips to accompany them. Bake up some cookies which travel well. Marinated vegetable salad is perfect for a picnic, it doesn't contain mayonnaise and can be served at any temperature. It's easy to make too: just cut up various summer vegetables, place them in a roasting pan, toss with salt, pepper and olive oil, and roast them for 20-30 minutes at 450-degrees. Once they have cooled to room temperature, toss them with a balsamic vinaigrette. This can be made a day in advance. Assign one guest to make a pit stop at a farm stand for some big, juicy fresh local peaches; have another guest visit a well stocked beverage store for some good craft beer to wash it all down.

I know some of my friends enjoy contemplating life as they toil in the soil of their beautifully planned gardens every summer. If you're one of these creative individuals with a gorgeous floral backdrop to be proud of, here's your chance to show it off one last time: the garden party. If you also grew a vegetable garden, use some of those vegetables in your menu. The above-mentioned roasted vegetable salad would be a good way to showcase your eggplants, zucchinis, tomatoes and peppers. A nice idea is to arrange a huge platter with a salad Nicoise, a traditional French salad platter featuring tuna (prepare a grilled tuna steak for each guest, or you can use salmon if you don't like tuna), small potatoes, string beans, tomatoes, black olives and hard boiled eggs. Be creative, that's just the basic salad, don't be afraid to play with it by adding your own personal touches when it comes to additional ingredients. The only other thing you'll need is dessert. Try extending your creativity toward some elegant ice cream sundae combination.

For traditionalists who vow to make summer's final curtain call a big backyard barbecue bash with a big family and lots of kids, that's great too. If you live on Long Island, definitely consider starting with a traditional summer seafood appetizer, such as baked stuffed clams or clams casino, both easy to make. Burgers would be a good choice for the menu, have two ideas in mind: plain ones for the kids with fussy tastes, and create something really elaborate for the adults. Let your imagination take you where you want to go. I love blue cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato on a burger. Swiss, bacon, grilled red onions and mushrooms are another great combination. Accompany that with a salad which works well with the burgers, a unique potato salad with interesting ingredients in it, or a southwestern salad with black beans, corn, peppers and avacado with a chili-lime vinaigrette. For dessert, set up an ice cream sundae bar with two or three flavors of good quality ice cream, two or three homemade sauces, and a variety of toppings. That's a sweet summer's ending that the kid in all of us can have a lot of fun with. If you wish to make it even more fun, offer a prize to the adult who unveils the most original and best sundae (such as a bottle of wine) and also a prize to the kid who shows the most creativity (such as a gift card to Toys R Us).

However you choose to bid farewell to summer this holiday weekend, be sure to have fun doing it. The above ideas are just a spark to get your creative thoughts flowing with the confidence that it doesn't have to be so overwhelming that you feel overworked, overextended, and going so crazy that you can't enjoy any social time with your guests. These are your friends, or your family. It's all about the bonds you share with them. They are the stars of the show, the menu items are the costars. If you choose a location which holds the meaning of summer for you, that perfect spot will be the perfect stage. Since you'll need only a handful of place settings, abandon the paper plates and plastic cups. If your party is at the beach, on a boat or in the woods, naturally you don't want to risk your Royal Doulton either, but set an elegant table nonetheless. If you can splurge, pick up some placemats and cloth napkins in a color that works with your theme, and use real dishes, glasses and flatware. Add some embellishments to the table by putting some summer flowers to good use and arranging some lit candles for mood lighting. By planning your meal and keeping it small, you'll be able to cook fewer things and place the effort into making much more impressive dishes because you'll only have to concentrate on two or three menu items rather than a dozen, and this will also allow you a few splurges on the ingredients. By keeping the guest list more intimate, you'll be able to share the stories of the summer past and catch up with one another. Have a camera within arms reach, and you'll be able to capture memories of that enjoyable Labor Day party of 2009 to look back upon with a smile for years to come.

Happy Labor Day, enjoy!