Spaghetti w/ Beef Ragu

It's the morning of my Torts final. And instead of freaking out I decided to post this delicious dinner that I made last night. I made lemon roasted chicken the night before my Elements final and that worked out pretty well. So I figured I would stick with a winning game plan. :o)


This is a great dinner that just does its thing in the slow cooker all day. Or, if you have a free afternoon (after you've put the books away), you can cook it for 4 hours on the high setting. It's the perfect meal for a cold night; hearty and comforting. Which is exactly what you need when you have a scary final the next morning.


Spaghetti w/Beef Ragu inspired by theKitchn

1 1/2 pounds stew beef, in chunks
salt & ground pepper
olive oil
1 large onion
1 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes
6 cloves garlic
1 carrot, peeled
3 shakes of crushed red pepper flakes

1. Add a little oil to a large skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper the beef and put the first batch into the pan. Brown each batch for about 4 minutes; be careful not to overcrowd the pan.

2. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the onion and garlic. Chop the carrot into thin rounds.

3. Lower the heat and add the onions. Cook for 10 minutes until the onion is golden.

4. Put the meat, onions, carrot, garlic, can of tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

5. When ready to serve, use a fork to shred the meat. Serve over spaghetti with fresh parmesan cheese.

Pistachio Brittle

I was looking for something sweet, but not a cookie. And this is what I found. It is definitely sweet and definitely not a cookie. But it also has more complexity than that statement gives it credit for. This brittle has salted pistachios on the inside and a light dusting of sea salt on the outside. Which combines into salty & sweet deliciousness that transcends what sweet or salty is ever able to accomplish on it own. Know what I mean?

Fair warning: this is NOT for people who are trying to avoid putting on holiday weight (as you'll see the main ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and butter). Nor is it a recipe that you can make and then just put away somewhere until your husband eats it. Because, I had to hide the salty/sweet pieces from myself. Yes - they are currently in a container that is on a shelf I would need a step stool to reach and that's a little too embarrassing even for me.

But if you're looking for a gorgeous and super tasty treat that travels really well to bring to a loved one's house (and then leave there for everyone else to eat to keep yourself from eating it all) - this recipe is done super quickly and doesn't even really require a candy thermometer (you can eyeball it). Enjoy!

Pistachio Brittle from Kristin Silverman

1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 stick butter, in chunks
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces shelled, salted, roasted pistachios
sea salt flakes

1. Combine the water, sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a large saucepan with tall sides. Turn the heat to medium-high; the mixture will start to boil pretty quickly. Stirring occasionally, let boil for about 20 minutes (or until it gets a dark amber color and starts to smell a little like burnt caramel) (or until your candy thermometer reads 300 F).

2. Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda (the mixture will bubble/foam a bit - just stir).

3. Add in the pistachios and stir until well incorporated, but work quickly.

4. Pour the whole thing onto a large baking sheet with high sides and spread with a spatula until evenly distributed. Evenly sprinkle sea salt on top.

5. Let cool for 30 minutes and then break apart into chunks (I used a clean hammer). Yum!

Pecan Pie

At first I was going to share this recipe before the holiday (in case any of you wanted to make it) - but then I realized it would be strange to share a recipe that hadn't actually been eaten yet. Sure the pie smelled amazing, but I'm pretty sure most people get the real enjoyment out of their pies by eating them. So I decided to wait until after the Thanksgiving meal to make sure that the pie really did taste as good as it looked/smelled.

And boy did it! It was sweet, but not too sweet. The crust was flaky and buttery and not tough at all (which can sometimes happen if you overwork the dough). So, in the unlikely event that you are still hungry, or didn't have enough pie yesterday, or just feel like celebrating for one more day. Here is a recipe that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser or even just a "you-pleaser."

Happy Holiday Season!

Pecan Pie

Pie Crust (trusty recipe from smitten kitchen)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 cup, chilled water

1. Cube the butter and place the butter back in the fridge. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.

2. Add the butter cubes to the flour mixture and using a pastry cutter (or two knives) to blend the butter into the flour. The texture when finished will resemble small peas.

3. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the cold water and using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula bring the dough together. When Almost completely combined, use your hands to bring all the dough together. You may need to add a little more water to bring it all together. *don't over mix*

4. Split the dough in 1/2 and wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Or until ready to use.

5. When ready to use, place the dough in between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll out to a circle big enough to fill a pie plate. Transfer to the pie plate and punch holes in the crust using a knife. Place back in the fridge until ready to bake.

Filling
3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup pecans

1. Mix the syrup, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the milk, flour, and melted butter and mix in the pecans.

2. Pour the filling into the unbaked crust.

3. Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes, until set.

Happy Thanksgiving

courtesy of www.peanuts.com

I don't have a recipe to post today. Not that we didn't cook this week or that I don't have a pile of great new things to try staring at me as I sit here typing this. My plan is to bake a pecan pie later this week to bring to my in-law's house for Thanksgiving, or maybe a French apple cake. I just haven't decided yet. I'm trying to be a little more in the moment. And I think that means that sometimes you just don't plan out exactly what recipe to make and post for the week. I'll try not to make a habit of it.

But in the spirit of my favorite holiday, a day when I will set aside the law books and try as hard as I may not to discuss heightened pleading standards and conspiring tortfeasors, this week especially I am celebrating how wonderful my family truly is.

Today my parents drove all the way up from PA just to spend the day at an event hosted at my law school. And, while I'm not sure they actually enjoyed being cold-called by a nutty British contracts professor, I sure enjoyed watching it! I am so truly thankful of how invested they are (and always have been). And of course for my amazing husband with out whose support I'm not sure I would survive law school. (even if he hid at home today to escape the wrath of cold-calling professors)

There is so much to be thankful for. And so many reasons to be in the moment. I hope you get to spend the holiday with the people you are most thankful for.

Stay tuned for a pecan pie later in the week - or French apple cake - or maybe something totally different - who knows :o)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Baking Powder Biscuits

I didn't really need a baking powder biscuits "recipe." And if you like to bake you probably don't either. But I do love this cookbook from Williams-Sonoma. The pictures are gorgeous and they did something really neat with the instructions. They give you instructions to make the recipe by hand and by machine of choice (mixer, food processor, etc.), which I think is great. Sometimes I don't feel like carting out the stand mixer. And all of the food processor parts? Forget it. But this book is a little reminder that those things really aren't necessary, if you're willing to put in a little work.

So in that spirit, instead of using a pastry cutter, I used two knives (you know, how Grandma used to do). Well, if I'm being honest I wish I had just used the cutter. For two reasons: 1. my triceps started to really hurt after a minute (which is just a little glimpse into how out of shape I really am right now) and 2. when the butter and flour combine it should be like small peas and I got too fed up before then and went looking for my pastry cutter to finish the job. But couldn't find it, which just seems like the universe laughing at me, doesn't it??

But in any event, no matter what recipe you use, biscuits really are a quick way to make Sunday morning a little extra special - which I love.

Baking Powder Biscuits from Essentials of Baking, Williams-Sonoma

2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup whole milk

These instructions are to make by hand. For food processor steps, see below.

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F and lightly butter a 1/2 sheet pan.

2. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add the butter and using a pastry cutter or 2 knives (see above) and cut in the butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of small peas.

4. Pour in the milk and mix with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

5. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently, just a few times, until it clings together. Pat the dough into a round about 3/4 inch thick.

6. Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter (or the top of glass) to cut out the biscuits. Place the biscuits on the prepared pan. Gather scraps and repeat until all the dough is used.

7. Bake until lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.


By Food Processor:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F and lightly butter a 1/2 sheet pan.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in the food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times to mix.

3. Add the butter and pulse 3 or 4 times until the mixture forms coarse crumbs the size of small peas.

4. Pour in the milk and pulse for a few seconds just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

*go up to regular instructions and follow from #5.

Handmade Pesto

I don't usually go in for fancy kitchen utensils that only have one use. It seems so silly to have a special tool for zesting a lemon or poaching an egg. This is doubly important in our tiny apartment (and tinier kitchen) where things have multiple uses or they just aren't worth the space they take up.

But, when we made our wedding registry I knew that I would include one very specialized (seemingly silly) item that breaks all of the rules above. A mezzaluna. I had to have one. And considering how much Tom loves pesto, it wasn't too hard to convince him that it belonged in our kitchen.

So almost 7 months after receiving the mezzaluna I finally got around to making pesto without a food processor. And please believe me when I say it's worth the 30 minutes of chopping. In fact the 30 minutes is exactly WHY it's worth it. Because with my mezzaluna, it was basically 30 minutes of relaxing meditation. I highly recommend it. If you're stressed, or just want to not think about law school finals for a little while, it will work wonders. And in the end, you get yummy pesto. What's better than that?

Handmade Pesto from 101 Cookbooks
2 handfuls of basil leaves, washed and dried
3 cloves of garlic
1 handful of pine nuts
scant 3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons good olive oil


1. Place 1/3 of the basil and 1/2 of the garlic on the cutting board and run the mezzaluna through until chopped. Add the remaining garlic and another 1/3 of basil and repeat. Add the remaining basil and slice until a fine mince.

2. Add 1/2 of the pine nuts and slice until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the cheese and repeat. Add the remainder of the pine nuts, slice. Add the remainder of the cheese and slice until all ingredients are evenly minced.

3. Form the pesto into a basil "cake" and place in a small bowl. Cover with olive oil and stir if using immediately. Otherwise, refrigerate and stir just before using.

Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Last week I failed. I did not post. I did not cook or bake. Really I just barely kept it all together. BUT I'm back and maybe even better than ever. School has definitely gotten more stressful, but instead of completely losing my mind, I started doing yoga. And am trying to accept that it (life, school, etc.) is a process, which gives us only fleeting moments of perfection.

So with all of that in mind, I post one of most flavorful, yummy, crisp cookies that is just begging to be dipped in coffee or tea. This cookie will definitely help you relax. It will encourage you to slow down for a minute and to take a deep breath. To stop what you're doing and just be in the moment.


I hope you get to make these. Or that someone makes them for you. Because they go along way toward creating one of those fleeting moments of perfection that so many of us could use.

Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup rolled-oats
3/4 cup pecan halves

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cornstarch
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

*or use 1 teaspoon ground ginger, but prefer the taste of fresh. I used a grater and just squeezed out the water with a paper towel.

1. Put the oatmeal and pecans into a food processor and grind until it has the texture of cornmeal.

2. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, ginger, salt, and baking soda. Add the oatmeal/pecan mixture.

3. Put the butter in your stand-mixer bowl and beat until light (about 1 minute). Add both sugars and beat for 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add the vanilla and the egg and mix until incorporated.

4. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix until combined.

5. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and pack the dough into the pan evenly. Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool (about 2 hours).

6. Heat your oven to 350 F. Remove the dough from the loaf pan and slice in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake on cookie sheets with parchment paper for 15-18 minutes (until the edges are browned).