Here, Taste This : Lemon Chiffon Cake

Spring is taking sweet forever to get to Minnesota this year.

To wit:
Last Saturday, we hit 56 degrees - for the first time since November 22.
The Twins home opener on Monday showcased a wind chill of 15.
For the entire month of March, only three days enjoyed above-average temps.
I still have snow drifts in my yard taller than my dog. And she's a border collie.

So basically, we are Canada without Tim Horton's.

Always winter. Never spring.

Unless you make this cake. Which I did, for Easter, because I needed some hope in my kitchen to celebrate the Hope in my heart.

Lemon Chiffon Cake is spring in the form of a baked good - light, sunny, moist, tangy, sweet, rich. Enough contradiction to make your head spin coupled with brightness that's irresistible.

It brought spring to my mouth.

Baby steps, Minnesota. We'll get there. Until then, we have cake.



LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
7 egg yolks
7 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325.
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well and add oil, egg yolks, water, lemon peel and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat egg white and cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peaks form.
4. Add about a cup of egg whites to cake batter and fold together to incorporate. Continue gently folding in the egg whites until the two mixtures are just blended.
5. Pour into an ungreased tube pan, 10x4 inches.
6. Bake about 75 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed. Invert cake pan and let it hang until the cake is completely cool. Remove from pan and frost with Lemon Butter Frosting.

Tips:
1. This is Baking 301. There are many intimidating tasks here, but fear not. Online tutorials are here to help. If this is your first time separating eggs, check out this slideshow and video at the Food Network. If you are trying to determine if your egg whites are stiff or not (#TWSS), Better Homes and Garden has a great explainer. Or, for a little bit of everything - egg separation, egg white whipping, egg white folding - I love this blog post at The Joy of Cooking. And of course, I am always here for you. I'd be happy to answer questions in the comments.
2. A tube pan is also called an angel food cake pan, and it is a requirement for Lemon Chiffon Cake. Without that removable bottom, I'm not sure how you'd get the cake out of the pan. (See also: Do not make this in a bundt pan unless you plan to eat the whole cake by yourself, with a fork, standing over your kitchen sink. Because it will never come out.)
3. My tube pan has these awesome little stands on it so I can tip it upside down on my counter while it cools without smooshing any of the cake. If you don't have stands on your tube pan, thread the middle tube through a bottle of wine instead and let it hang there as it cools. (The things we do for cake.)

LEMON BUTTER FROSTING

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2-4 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1. Beat the softened butter and gradually add the powdered sugar.
2. Add in the lemon peel and the lemon juice until the frosting is fully and of spreading consistency.

Tips:
1. I like my frosting thick, so this recipe works for me. But honestly, it's not the best icing for a delicate cake. So feel free to add more lemon juice and/or warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until you get the frosting to more of a glaze.
2. The cake must be completely cool before you try to frost it. But you knew that, right?
3. I garnished the cake with paper-thin slices of lemon to make it look pretty. If you have Meyer lemons available to you, use those as garnishes. They are sweet enough to eat.

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

I don't like cookies.

It's one of my most unpopular opinions, but I stand behind it. Why have a wafer of crumbly sugar dust when you could have pie?

But these cookies. Ahhhh. These cookies. They almost make me change my mind.

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Cookies taste like fall smells. An oatmeal base (::cough:: whole grain) combines with butter, sugar, vanilla and two secret ingredients. First, you add tiny chunks of caramel to the dough, and then you top the cookies with a sprinkling of kosher salt right after baking.

I mean....

Also, please note: all that chewy goodness sticks like mad to a regular cookie sheet. For this reason, parchment paper is a MUST with these cookies. If you don't line your cookie sheets with parchment, your cookies will glue themselves to the baking sheet and you will end up with crumbs when you try to take them off. Which would turn these magical cookies back into regular cookies. Don't let that happen on your watch.

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 pkg (11 oz) Kraft Caramel Bits
kosher salt for sprinkling
parchment paper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cream butter with sugars. Mixture will be fluffy in texture and light in color when combined.
3. Add in eggs and vanilla.
4. Add flour, salt, baking soda and oatmeal. Add caramel bits last.
5. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or you will be kicking yourself in about 10 minutes). Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto sheets and bake, approximately 8-10 minutes. Pull the sheets when the cookies are golden brown on the edges and just starting to set in the center. They will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.
6. Immediately after taking them out of the oven, sprinkle cookies with kosher salt. Allow to cool before removing from parchment paper.

Tips:
1. That's right. Parchment paper is one of the ingredients. It's THAT important to this recipe.
2. If you are new to baking, you can always sift the flour, salt and baking soda together before you add it to the butter mixture. That ensures no lumps. But honestly, I've baked for decades, and I've never sifted my dry ingredients, and I've never had a lump. (And yes, I'm a questioner.)
3. I'm notoriously bad about letting my cookies bake one minute longer than they should. Then I end up with crunchy cookies. Gross. Don't follow in my footsteps. Pull these babies when they are just starting to set, and you'll end up with marvelously chewy cookies to accompany you throughout your week.
4. If you haven't seen Kraft's Caramel Bits before (#twss), here's a photo to take to the grocery store. I did not even know caramel bits existed until I was introduced to these cookies. Just imagine all the other uses for them.....

Summer Lovin' S'more Bars

What if I told you s'mores could be stored in your fridge? What if I promised you the taste, texture and nostalgia of a s'more but in a portable form? What if I said you don't need a campfire to indulge in one of the best parts of summer?

Because that's exactly what this recipe delivers. Gooey marshmallows, buttery graham crackers, melted chocolate, in a convenient package.

Make these for a weekend with friends at the beach, for that family reunion potluck, for the evening you'd planned a bonfire but it rained instead. Just be sure to hold a few bars back for yourself. Because you can't ever have too much summer.


Summer Lovin' S'more Bars

15 graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter, melted
16 oz chocolate chips (semi-sweet or bittersweet)
4 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Crush graham crackers by either pulsing in a food processor or placing crackers in a zipper bag and rolling them with a rolling pin. Your goal is small crumbs. You should have about 2 cups of crumb when finished.
3. In a large bowl, combine crumbs, sugar, salt and melted butter until the crumbs absorb all the butter. Scoop out one cup of the mixture and set aside.
4. Press the remaining graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking dish. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set on a rack to cool.
5. Place chocolate in microwave bowl and nuke on medium for 30 seconds; stir. Nuke again for 30 seconds; stir. Continue at this, in 30-second bursts, until the chocolate is completely melted.
6. Pour melted chocolate over crush and smooth with an off-set spatula.
7. Sprinkle marshmallows over chocolate, pressing gently to adhere.Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over marshmallows.
8. Preheat broiler and place pan 2” under heat for 30 seconds or until marshmallows are golden. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO MAKE SURE THE MARSHMALLOWS DON’T BURN.
9. Cool pan on rack and refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting.

Tips:
1. As I said on Sorta Awesome, these are RICH. I recommend you cut them into small squares, versus the normal size bars.
2. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO MAKE SURE THE MARSHMALLOWS DON’T BURN. It bears repeating. You look away for five seconds and BAM, those marshmallows are tiny little charcoal pillows on your bars. Stay vigilant.
3. I know it's hard to wait. But do NOT attempt to cut or eat these bars until they are completely cool. They'll disintegrate, and while that pile of crumbs will be mighty tasty, they won't be presentable. I've been known to stick them in the fridge and/or freezer to speed the cooling process along.
4. If your house is warm, or you're taking these bars to an outdoor gathering, you might want to check in on them occasionally. That chocolate layer can get awful melty. That's why I recommend you store them in the fridge, if at all possible.
5. I also like to say "bars" with my best exaggerated Minnesota accent, like I'm an extra in "Fargo." I commend that pronunciation to you.

Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

January. It's cold, it's dark, the holidays are over. This is the time of year when I have to reach deep to find my love of winter, when I have to replace my Christmas tree with an equal number of fairy lights, when I build fires and light candles and admit the below-zero temperatures do offer a compelling cryogenic nostril cleanse.

This is the time of year when I need soup.

And this soup fits the mid-winter bill. It features a creamy base, nutty, chewy wild rice, enough vegetables to feel virtuous without putting off the kids, chicken - and bacon. Because January demands bacon. And bacon makes all things better. Even, especially, winter.



Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth
2 cups water
3/4 cup wild rice
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken
8-12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2-3 tbsp sherry

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, combine broth, water and wild rice. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer of 20 minutes. At that point, add the onion, celery and carrots, and simmer for another 20 minutes.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour to from a roux. Once the roux is bubbly and combined, slowly whisk in half and half and spices. Stir until smooth. Let it simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add white sauce mixture to wild rice mixture. Add chicken, bacon and sherry last, just before serving.

Tips:
1. My kids find the sherry flavor in this soup off-putting. So feel free to leave it out. It's still good. But I do think it adds that extra something, that unnameable umami, that puts it over the top for most people.
2. You want to add more bacon? DO IT. It only makes the soup better.
3. You can substitute milk for the half and half. The soup will just be a little less creamy. I highly recommend the half and half, but if are stranded in a blizzard and you have everything else to make this soup but that one ingredient. Fine. You have my blessing to use milk.
4. If you shop at Costco, buy their packs of cut-up rotisserie chicken for the chicken in this recipe. It's cooked white meat, already in chunks. You just need to go through and cut it into bite-sized pieces, and cut off any skin or gristle that may have gotten mixed in when they were pulling the meat off the bones. Super easy.

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Gardening experts always advise: Don't plant mint. Or if you do, plant it in a self-contained pot. Because mint is the virus of the gardening world. It spreads easily, sometimes mercilessly, and it's almost impossible to control. It just keeps coming back until it's taken over.

I don't subscribe to the experts advice. Because I like mint. (And because I'm lazy.) So I have a rather large crop of mint in my backyard, that grows larger every year. Come August, the mint is a little smug. "You are so toast, lady. I'm going to own this yard in a few shorts weeks, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Enter this recipe. It requires two cups of fresh mint leaves to make this ice cream, which results in some of the lightest, brightest, freshest mint flavor you've ever laid taste buds on. And pulling that much mint will show your plant who's boss.

And if it gets sassy again, make more ice cream. Or just smile with the knowledge that winter will be here soon enough. End game, mint. End game.



Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
pinch of salt
2 cups lightly packed fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/3 to 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Add the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the heavy cream and the salt to a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warmed through. Add in the mint leaves and mix to combine, making sure all the leaves are immersed in the mixture. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep at room temperature for about an hour.
2. Set a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Pour the mixture through the sieve, pressing on the leaves to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the mint. Add the final cup of heavy cream and the vanilla and stir.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Near the end of the churning process, add in the chocolate chips.

Tips:
1. Your ice cream might end up with a very subtle green tint, depending on your mint. Or it might stay white. If you want that classic mint green color, add a few drops of green food coloring before you put the mixture in the fridge to chill.
2. I have a Cuisinart 1-1/2 Quart Ice Cream maker and I love it. This recipe makes the perfect amount for that size of ice cream maker.
3. If you're an ice cream aficionado, you will notice I don't call for egg yolks in this recipe. That's because I don't find the texture of custard-based ice cream to be enough of a reward for the work entailed.

Spicy Grilled Pineapple

Spicy grilled pineapple might be one of my favorite summer desserts. And that's saying something, because: Pie. Ice cream. Fruit cobbler. S'mores. Pie.

This dessert shoots to the top of my list because it's SUPER easy but unique enough that it impresses people. Plus, all that caramelized goodness on top of sweet pineapple? It's hard to beat. Don't forget the ice cream.



Spicy Grilled Pineapple

1 fresh pineapple
1/4 cup pineapple or orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves

Directions:
1. Peel the pineapple and core. Cut into long wedges. You should have about 8-12, depending on the size of your pineapple.
2. Combine the juice, sugar and spices in a small bowl.
3. Put pineapple in a glass container or a Ziplock bag. Pour marinade over, and cover or seal. Marinate in fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
4. When ready to grill, remove pineapple from marinade and grill over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, turning once, or until edges are brown and crisp.

Tips:
1. When shopping for a ripe pineapple, pull a couple of the crown leaves. If they come off easily, the pineapple is ripe. (If you can't find a ripe pineapple, leave it on the counter or the top of the fridge for a few days to let it ripen.)
2. Serve this with ice cream for an extra special treat. Top the ice cream with the extra marinade if you want your friends and family to weep with joy.
3. For a grown-up version: substitute rum for the juice. *hiccup*

Here, Taste This: Lasagna Soup

I am seasonal eater.

Perhaps this surprises no one.

I am drawn to the drama that plays out every day on the other side of my window. Spring's freshness and hope, summer's sparkle and joy, fall's glory and longing. And winter. Winter's quiet and reflection. Each season speaks to me of different flavors, different sensations. I revel in the rhythm of it. I don't want stew in summer, and even though I could technically grill in January if I'm willing to stand in the snow, something about that turns me off.

No, winter demands soup.

And this soup, my friends, is all that is right about soup. It sticks to your ribs, thanks to the pasta, and it dances on your tongue, thanks to the Italian sausage, and it is bright with seasonal veggies. (Carrots, spinach, I'm looking at you.) Best of all, it's a one-pot meal that can go from start to finish in less than 30 minutes. Just enough time to hide some fresh mozzarella in the bottom of each dish, slice some baguette and rinse some grapes.

Then sit down to a steaming bowl of the best winter has to offer. Maybe, just maybe, you'll give thanks for January.


Lasagna Soup

1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, cut into coins
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp. garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 14-oz. can Italian diced tomatoes
1 10-oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup mafalda pasta
4-6 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
fresh mozzarella
Parmesan cheese,
4 tsp. thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions:
1. Brown sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and carrots; saute 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and garlic; saute another 3 minutes.
3. Add broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a boil.
4. Drop in pasta and simmer until al dente, about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.
6. Place fresh mozzarella in bottom of soup bowls and ladle hot soup on top.
7. Garnish with Parmesan and basil.

Tips:
1. The easiest Italian sausage to use in recipes like this is bulk sausage, usually found near the breakfast sausage are in your local grocery store. If you're worried hot Italian sausage will be too spicy (aka you're Scandinavian), it's fine to use "sweet," or regular.
2. Mafalda pasta looks like mini lasagna noodles.(I will pause here for us all to embrace the cute.) But if you can't find it - and I can't, right now - feel free to use bowtie or even penne pasta in its place. I often use campanelle, or bellflowers, just because I think they are pretty.
3. If you can find the fresh mozzarella balls known as bocconcini, use those for this recipe. It's easy to throw three or four balls of cheese in the bottom of each soup bowl and call it good. If you can't find bocconcini, feel free to dice up any fresh mozzarella you can find. It will all melt the same, and what we're after here is easy meltability. (Totally a word.) Every bowl should have its own soft little nuggets of wonderfulness.
4. Does the price of basil in the winter bring you down? (Plus, it's not exactly seasonal, is it.) Then use a drizzle of pesto in its place. You get the same fresh herb flavor at half the cost.

Here, Taste This : Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing

If I had to give this summer a theme, it would be - Just Go With It.

If not observing strict bedtimes makes your evenings stress-free, just go with it.

If watching "Days of our Lives" every night while you clean the kitchen brings you an odd sort of comforting joy, just go with it. (EJ DiMera is in prison, Sami is on a rampage, John Black is in a coma, Hope's eyebrows still shoot sky-high at the end of every scene she's in. All is as it should be in Salem. It makes me strangely happy.)

If staying off social media is a breath of fresh air, just go with it.

And if you discover a salad you like so much, you make it every week, just go with it. Variety is over-rated anyway, right?

We first met, the salad and I, at a friend's house back in March. I was smitten with the first bite: nutty quinoa, crunchy cabbage and peppers, bits of carrots and red onion and cilantro and peanuts - held together with a Thai-inspired dressing that is the perfect blend of natural peanut butter, ginger, honey, soy sauce and lime juice. It bursts with color, texture and oh-my-word-you-have-to-smell-this aroma. It's the kind of salad that pairs perfectly with grilled chicken or, my favorite, spicy shrimp. Or you can just eat it for lunch every day for the entire summer. Like you do.

Just go with it.


Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups chopped red cabbage
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup diced chives

Dressing:
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
juice of 1 lime

Directions:
1. Rinse quinoa with cold water in a mesh strainer until water runs clear. This removes the bitterness sometimes associated with quinoa. In a medium saucepan, boil 1-1/2 cups water. Add in quinoa and return mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes or so, until quinoa has absorbed all the water. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Place in a large bowl and set aside to cool. (Note: This should result in about 2 cups of quinoa.)
2. Make the dressing. Mix peanut butter and honey in a microwave safe-bowl and heat in microwave for 30 seconds, so they will be easier to combine. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, the oils and the lime juice. Stir until mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. Add dressing to quinoa. Stir to combine.
4. Fold in the cabbage, red pepper, onion, carrots, peanuts, cilantro and chives. Garnish with extra peanuts, chives and lime slices, if desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Tips:
1. Hello Salad Adaptable. Do you have cashews in your cupboard instead of peanuts? Sub 'em in. Want to try honey-roasted peanuts in place of the naked version? Do it. Want to skip the cilantro because it makes you gag? Sigh. If you have to.
2. Go make this. Right now. That is my biggest tip.

Here, Taste This : Citrus and Avocado Salad

Grapefruit might be my favorite fruit. Right next to peaches. And mangoes. And perfectly ripe strawberries. And juicy sweet blueberries.

I like fruit, is what I'm saying.

But I do think citrus fruit is perfectly gifted to be in season right now, when deepest, darkest winter has set in and we are all fogged in by the relentless grind of being indoors and eating root vegetables at every meal. (Californian friends, just nod and act like you know what I'm talking about.) A bright pink grapefruit, a sunny orange, even a gleaming lemon, remind us of summer days and warm breezes and a sky as clean and fresh as the juice dripping down our chin.

This salad can be a butt-load of work, I'm not going to lie to you. (Of course, I have time-saving tips; see below.) But it so exquisitely combines the tang of citrus with the butteriness of avocado and the zip of pomegranate seeds, it's worth it.



(my apologies for the pitiful picture; apparently, I have few pictures of this salad because I'm too busy eating it immediately)

Citrus and Avocado Salad with Pomegranate Seeds

3 oranges, segmented
2 grapefruits, segmented
2 avocados, sliced
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
spring greens or spinach

Dressing:
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Directions:
1. First, make the dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients and blending until emulsified.
2. Section the fruits and slice the avocados. (More on that below.)
3. Place greens or spinach on plate; arrange citrus and avocado on top. Sprinkle on the pomegranate seeds and drizzle with dressing.

Tips:
1. Segmenting citrus sounds so scary, doesn't it? "Here, Dr. Watson, take these grapefruit in the back and SEGMENT them." But it's not, I promise. It takes more patience than skill. Here's a great video by Mario Batali that shows you exactly how to do it, accompanied by kicky jazz and snarky subtitles.

2. My favorite time-saving tip of the year: If you have a Costco near you, look for their cups of ready-to-eat grapefruit in the cooler section. They are already segmented pink grapefruit stored in juice and OH MY WORD, they are the best. I bought my first box to use for this salad, and  I've turned into a raving grapefruit lunatic, now that I can eat them all the time without any prep work involved.
3. You know how to deal with avocado, right? Again, not hard. Just takes patience. Here's another awesome video that shows you the basics.

4. And here's where I would show you a video of how to get pomegranate seeds out of a pomegranate - which, OK, I'll show it to you anyway, because it's just cool and clever, and it's a fun thing to do with kids, if you have some who are interested in cooking. Plus, the pomegranate is one of the most gorgeous, sensuous fruits out there. Did you know many cultures believe it was the fruit that the serpent used to tempt Eve?

BUT! If you don't want to go through the trouble, you can now buy pomegranate seeds in most grocery stores. Look for fresh arils in the produce section, often under the brand name Pom-Poms.
5. One last tip: I'm a dressing minimalist, so I usually make half the dressing called for, or I save it for another day. This salad is delicious enough just with the flavors involved. It should not be drowned in goop. If you do, I will be forced to give you the disapproving dog face.

You've been warned.

Here Taste This, Polar Vortex Edition : Chicken Spinach Soup with Barley

So it's Monday, and my kids are home from school again. This is the fourth school cancellation day this month, and I feel certain day five will come tomorrow. It's not that I disagree with it so much; temps of -20 and wind chills of -45 are not to be trifled with. It's more that it's insanity. Even for Minnesota in January, this is wicked cold.

The best way to fight back - besides a trip to the Caribbean - is soup. So today, I'm breaking with my self-imposed rule to do "Here, Taste This" on Fridays, and I'm posting a Polar Vortex edition. Because this soup is perfect for these frigid days. It's fast, simple, healthy and it will fill you with warm goodness.



Chicken Spinach Soup with Barley
adapted from Everyday Food

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup quick-cooking barley
5 cups raw baby spinach, roughly chopped

Directions:
1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add carrots and onion. Cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until chicken turns white on the edges, about 2 minutes.
2. Add broth and and bring to a boil. Add barley. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer the soup until barley is tender and chicken is cooked, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Remove cover, add spinach and stir until the spinach is just wilted, about 1 minute.
4. Season to taste with more salt and pepper and serve.

Tips:
1. The key to this soup is quick-cooking barley. Most grocery stores stock it, but you might have to ask where they keep it. Some keep it by the oatmeal, others in the soup aisle. Quick-cooking barley has all the nutrition of pearled barley, only it's flattened so it cooks in much less time. It should look a little like oatmeal when you pour it out of the box.
2. I like pepper, so I add lots of it just before serving. Be sure to taste the soup before you serve it and salt and pepper to your taste.
3. Serve with crusty bread and cut-up pears and apples. Eat next to a roaring fire and smile smugly at the wind howling outside. The cold can't touch you now, baby.

Here, Taste This : Zesty Cranberry Sauce

My childhood memories of Thanksgiving are a blur of smells and sounds. Tableware clinking. Fresh rolls baking. Turkey roasting. The sound of laughter. The crackle of a fire. But it was the sight of the jiggling, crimson cranberry sauce that trumpeted "Thanksgiving is here." It was my favorite, even as a little girl. I would patiently wait for the silver serving dish of sliced rounds to reach me, and then I would take two. Or maybe three. Cranberry sauce was only served at Thanksgiving, so I felt justified in second servings.

Now that I'm a grown-up (most of the time), I still favor the cranberry sauce above all else. It is Thanksgiving to me. And this recipe? Oh my word. Cranberry sauce perfection. The ideal blend of sweet-tart. It's easier to make this than to shlunk it out of a can. And so much better.


Zesty Cranberry Sauce

1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Combine everything in a medium pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop, about 8-10 minutes. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Here, Taste This: Nannie's Pumpkin Pie

I'm channeling my inner Peach this week: "Today's the day! The sun is shining! The tank is clean!" Because Thanksgiving is FINALLY here. It's my favorite holiday, probably because it's the least tainted with consumerism. (I know Black Friday is trying to suck the heart out of it; this post says it all. But if you ignore the must-buy-more hype and fix your eyes on your blessings, the Black Friday ghoul can't have you.)

Plus, food is my love language and my main spiritual gift. Cooking a huge meal and then serving it to my favorite people? It's my sweet spot.

Last year I posted my entire Thanksgiving menu on the blog, because it's the perfect symphonic meal. Sweet, salty, tart, sweet, crunchy, creamy. I can't really alter a thing without losing something. If you're looking for the complete package, head there.

But maybe you're just looking for a little something: a killer dish to bring to the in-laws, perhaps, or a fresh take on a classic. In that case, let me highlight my two favorite recipes for you. Some might say these are sides, ancillary dishes to the main deal. But I say these are the true heart-and-soul of Thanksgiving. Without these two dishes tucked away on my table, it isn't Thanksgiving to me.

Today, Nannie's Pumpkin Pie. Tomorrow: well, you'll just have to come back, won't you?



Nannie's Pumpkin Pie

In my opinion, pumpkin pie is more necessary than turkey for a real Thanksgiving. I know some people don't like it, to which I say: What is WRONG with you freaks?

Maybe it's because you don't have my Nannie's recipe for pumpkin pie, which has the perfect blend of sugar and spice. According to family lore, Nannie got the recipe off a Kroger's can of pumpkin in the 1940s, when food was being rationed for the war. It has simple ingredients and it's easy to make and it's practically fool-proof.

Ingredients:
15 oz canned pumpkin
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Mix all ingredients well. Bake in an unbaked pie crust at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, and then 350 degrees until set, about another 45 min.

Here, Taste This : Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash with Clementines and Pancetta

I don't know about you, but I often clip recipes or Pin them and then chicken out on the follow-through. As in, I like to think about them and look at the pretty pictures and imagine how wonderful that dish might taste. And then I don't cook it. Because what if it's a horrible flop? What if I waste food? It's easier to stick with the tried-and-true.

Pinterest: Where Inspiration Goes to Die.

But this past week, I was solo parenting, and the kids and I were going to have leftovers, again, and something rose up in my soul and said: I want to make something NEW and GOOD and HEALTHY. And I just happened to have a recipe on my counter I had cut out of Better Homes & Garden last weekend. And I just happened to have all the ingredients already, which an even bigger miracle. So I decided to do hard things and try something new and I got out my butternut squash and went to work. And lo, when I took that first bite, the heavens parted and the angels sang and OH MY WORD it was the best thing I'd eaten in months. I raved and wept and pleaded with my kids to "try this, you have to try it, it's amazing," but they scorned my offering. So I ate half the pan for dinner - that's one pound of butternut squash, for the record - and I groaned with joy the rest of the night.

If that isn't an endorsement, I don't know what is.


Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash with Clementines and Pancetta
Loosely adapted from Better Homes & Garden, November 2013

3 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 pounds butternut squash, cubed into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unpeeled, seeded clementines, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/2 cup orange juice

Directions:
1. In a high-sided skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove pancetta to a paper towel to drain.
2. To drippings still in pan, add butter. Once melted, add squash. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until squash just starts to soften, around 2-3 minutes.
3. Add water, maple syrup, and salt to pan. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring as needed. Add clementines and juice and cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes more, until liquid has reduced slightly and both the squash and the orange slices are tender.
4. Transfer to a serving dish or plate up and top with pancetta and cracked black pepper.

Tips:
1. This recipe marks my first time ever cooking with pancetta. I just happened to have some in my fridge from a gift basket Corey received. And it was amazing. But I imagine you could get the same salty, crunchy flavor kick by using bacon. For the record: 3 ounces of pancetta equaled 3 slices of my package. It was about 1/3 cup of pancetta bits, once cooked.
2. Costco sells peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash. I love buying it ready to go (and frankly, if I had to peel, seed and chop a squash for this recipe, I probably wouldn't have tried it on a night I was solo parenting). If you can get the squash ready to go like that, I highly recommend it. It's the difference between declaring this recipe easy versus labor intensive.
3. I was skeptical that I didn't need to peel the clementines, but the original recipe promised the thin skins would soften during cooking and become edible. And wouldn't you know, they were right. The skins even added a slight tang of extra orange to the dish.
4. Do I even need to say that you must use real maple syrup for this recipe, and not some maple-flavored corn syrup? No? Good.
5. The smaller your squash, the faster this dish will cook. Mine was slightly too soft. It didn't hurt the flavor at all, but if you're a texture person, you will want to watch that closely.

Here, Taste This : Silver White Cake with White Mountain Frosting

Remember when I said I could have this chocolate cake every birthday for the rest of my life and be happy, nay ecstatic?

I lied.

It happens if one is too busy slobbering over pictures of chocolate sour cream icing to remember that one traditionally makes this cake every year for one's birthday.


That, my friends, is Betty Crocker's Silver White Cake with White Mountain Frosting, and it is a dream. It is the yang to chocolate cake's yin, the light to the dark, the angel to the devil. And maybe because my birthday is in January, when I'm sick to death of rich Christmas treats and the snow is piled up outside my window in thick drifts, this cake is my true birthday love.

As the name implies, the cake itself is pure white (shortening instead of butter and no egg yolks in the batter; that's the secret). The lemon curd filling adds the perfect tangy flavor boost, and the marshmallow-like frosting is the literal icing on the cake. I add sweetened, shredded coconut to the top (and sprinkles, as I deem necessary) because that makes me extra happy.

Silver White Cake
2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
3-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degress. Grease, flour and put wax or parchment paper cutouts in 2 9-inch round cake pans.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, vanilla and 1/2 of the milk (1/2 cup) into a large mixer bowl. Blend about 30 seconds on low speed; scape bowl. Beat 2 more minutes on medium to high speed until well combined. Add the remaining milk (the other 1/2 cup) and the egg whites. Beat 2 more minutes on medium to high, scraping bowl as needed.
3. Pour into the prepared bans; bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cakes cool for 10 minutes before turning out of pans, and then cool completely on wire racks.
4. When ready to assemble cakes, spread a layer of lemon curd on the bottom cake before topping with the second round. Don't extend beyond the edges,

Tips:
1. If you don't know how to separate eggs, now is the time! It's not nearly as intimidating as it sounds; here's a great video that walks you through the steps. I mix the leftover yolks into a batch of scrambled eggs the next day.
2. If you need a refresher on preparing cake pans so your cake doesn't stick, I recommend this video.
3. I use Trader Joe's lemon curd, because it is amazing. But you could use whatever brand your grocery store carries; check the top or bottom shelves near the jelly. You can also make your own, but this cake is already high maintenance. Store-bought lemon cured is a worthy time saver.

White Mountain Frosting
2 egg whites, from large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. In medium bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on high speed just until stiff peaks form.
2. In a 1-quart saucepan, whisk together sugar, corn syrup and water until well combined. Cover and heat to rolling boil over medium heat. Uncover and boil 4 to 8 minutes, without stirring, until a candy thermometer inserted into the mixture reaches 242°F.
3. Pour the hot sugar mixture very slowly in a thin stream into the egg whites, beating constantly on medium speed.
4. Once the sugar is all in, add vanilla. Beat on high speed about 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
5. Frost cake and top with sweetened, shredded coconut.

Tips:
1. Do not fear! Yes, this recipe is slightly more complicated than chocolate sour cream frosting. But it is worth your time. The key here is a candy thermometer. Insert it into the bubbling mixture when you uncover the pan and then - this is important - DO NOT LEAVE ITS SIDE. The temp accelerates so unevenly, and you need to remove that pot off the heat and start adding it to the egg whites the second it hits 242.
2. A stand mixer is almost a necessity for this recipe, because pouring the hot syrup into the egg whites WHILE BEATING THE EGG WHITES is almost physically impossible for one person. If you have a stand mixer, you just turn your mixer (whisk attachment) on low or medium low while you add the sugar syrup and then turn that puppy up to high and let it go. If you don't have a stand mixer, now is the time to find a good friend to come and help you out. I've done it by myself without a stand mixer, many times, so I'm not saying you can't try. I'm just saying it's a black belt move and molten sugar burns something fierce.
3. Put the pan you used to melt your sugar under HOT running water, and it will clean right up.

Here, Taste This: Luau Punch

A few years ago, I read about the rule of percentages when it comes to healthy eating. My percentage is 70-30. Seventy percent of the time, I try to eat healthy and feed my family healthy. I'm all about real food and whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies and almost no processed stuff. But the other 30% of the time, I don't stress. Because real life happens, and here in America, that includes sugar and food dyes and cereal with marshmallows.

And this punch. It's firmly in the 30% category, containing, as it does, red food dye, sugar, HFCS and ice cream. But you know what? It's AMAZING, and when I served it at Natalie's luau birthday party, it outshone the beach cupcakes. And that's saying something, because cupcakes are in the 30% category too.


Luau Punch

46 oz pineapple juice
2 liter Hawaiian Punch
2 liter ginger ale
rainbow sherbet

Directions:
1. Combine pineapple juice, Hawaiian punch and ginger ale in a large bowl.
2. Just before serving, top with scoops of rainbow sherbet.

Tips: 
1. You can't mess this up.
2. <JediMindTrick> You will not think about the sugar. You can go now. </JediMindTrick>

Here, Taste This: Homemade Pizza Crust for Make-Your-Own-Pizza Parties

In our family, tradition dictates that the birthday boy or girl gets to choose the meal for their celebration dinner. Over the years, a definite pattern has emerged. Natalie, who's birthday is in July, has chosen  to have BBQ ribs, fresh corn on the cob and melon, a quintessential summer meal. Connor, who's birthday is next week, has settled on homemade pizza as his favorite. We usually let our guests top their own round of dough, and then we line up a parade of baking sheets to go into a 500-degree oven.

Early on, I found this recipe for pizza dough and I fell in love. First: you make it in a food processor, so it's quick and easy. Second: it only needs one rise, because it calls for rapid-rise yeast. And third: it has a touch of cornmeal in the dough - not enough to make it taste like cornbread, but enough to give it some added crunch.

Maybe best for a party: It doubles or triples easily.


Cornmeal Pizza Crust

5 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 envelopes rapid-rise yeast
4 tsp salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, yeast and salt. With processor running, add oil and then water in a steady stream. Process until dough just forms a ball and starts to come together.
2. Turn out the dough onto a floured counter. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes, adding flour if the dough becomes too sticky to work with. Please in a oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. At this point, you can either let it rise on our counter, about 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Or stick it in your fridge overnight. Just let it come to room temperature before working with it, if you choose the second option.
3. Divide risen dough into four equal portions. Roll into balls and cover with a towel until pulled, about 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to a blazing hot 500 degrees. Sprinkle a scant handful of cornmeal on a rimmed baking sheet, to help keep the pizza rounds from sticking.
5. While oven is preheating, shape each dough into rough circles or ovals, about 8- to 10-inches wide. Put atop cornmeal on baking sheet and top as desired.
6. Bake until crust is golden and toppings are melted, about 10-12 minutes.

Tips:
1. Note the words rapid-rise yeast in the ingredient list. This is important. Regular yeast won't work in this recipe, because it has to be activated with hot water before being added to the flour.
2. If you've got more than one baking sheet in the oven at the same time, you might want to rotate them halfway through so the pizzas cook evenly.
3. Ideally, you have just enough cornmeal on the baking sheets to keep the crust from sticking without using any extra spray or oil. But you don't want too much, or the cornmeal will burn while the pizza is cooking and/or your kids will see cornmeal on the crust and say, "Ewwww, I'm not eating that." If you get it wrong the first time, don't give up. You'll get it.

Here, Taste This: The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

At our house, when it's your birthday, you choose the food. That means you get whatever breakfast you want, whatever dinner you want and whatever cake you want.

I do this, because I love my family. But it pains me - PAINS ME - when one of my children chooses a cake other than chocolate.

Because - gather round friends, I might need to whisper here - I have have discovered the recipe for the best chocolate cake in the world.

Not only that, but I've also discovered the secret to the best chocolate frosting in the world.

Put them together, and you have a chocolate force that cannot be defeated. This is the birthday cake to beat all birthday cakes, this is the cake I want every birthday for the rest of my life, this is the ideal.

And today, I'm going to share it with you. Go forth, and birthday well. And don't forget the milk.



The Best Chocolate Cake Ever
Yes, it deserves that title. Don't be hating on perfection.

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup warm water
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray two cake pans (8 inch or 9 inch) with nonstick cooking spray and line with paper circles made out of wax or parchment paper. (See tips for more on this.)
2. Whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand-mixer.
3. Switch to the paddle attachment, raise the speed to medium and add the eggs, buttermilk, water, oil and vanilla. Beat until smooth, 2-3 minutes.
4. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake until set and they pass the toothpick test, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before turning out from pans. Peel off wax or parchment paper and transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips:
1. If you don't know what I mean by lining your cake pans with paper, Martha Stewart has an excellent video tutorial here. I use nonstick cooking spray instead of softened butter, because it's easier, but either way works. This is the secret to getting cake out of the pans without chunks sticking. Perfect rounds every time.
2. If you don't have a stand mixer, no worries. You can make this cake using a hand beater by following the same instructions. It just might take a few extra minutes. But it will be time well spent.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Beat butter in a stand mixer until creamy.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, one at a time, in small amounts to fully incorporate. Frosting should be thick and creamy when done.
3. Makes enough frosting to cover one two-layer cake or lots of cupcakes.

Tips:
1. Just like the cake: if you don't have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer for this recipe. No harm, no foul. Just might take a few extra spins.
2. Even people who hate sour cream love this frosting. It doesn't taste sour at all; in fact, you don't have to tell anyone it's in there. (Unless you want to watch them freak out after they've proclaimed their extreme love for this frosting.) The sour cream doesn't make the frosting sour; it just balances the sweet and adds richness.

Here, Taste This : Zucchini Banana Flax Mufins

Meet my new addiction: Zucchini Banana Flax Muffins.

Why do I love them? To wit:
1. They use a lot of zucchini, and since I have a zucchini plant in my garden - the rabbits of the vegetable world - I now have a lot of zucchini in my fridge. A LOT. Like, some are the size of small clubs.
2. These muffins use flaxseed meal instead of oil or butter to keep the mixture cohesive. Flaxseed in anything equals 50 grown-up points.
3. Because they contain cinnamon, the whole house smells like fall when you bake them.
4. This recipe also uses bananas. The ones that are too brown and squishy to eat. Using food that would normally go to waste earns you even more grown-up points.
5. Last but certainly not least, they are scrumtious. None of of that other stuff would matter if this tasted like little hockey pucks. The banans and brown sugar lend sweetness, the zucchini adds moisture, the flax makes them tender and keeps them low in fat. Hashtag win-win-win.



Zucchini Banana Flax Muffins
adapted from Everyday Food

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 cups coarsely grated zucchini (1 small zucchini or 1/10 of one of mine)
1/3 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 banana)
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat 12-18 standard muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: both flours, flaxseed meal, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Add mashed banana and zucchini and stir to combine.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined; don't overmix or you'll end up with tough muffins.
5. Divide batter among muffing cups, filling them no more than 3/4 full. Bake until springy on top and golden, about 20-25 minutes.

Tips:
1. My batter always makes more than 12 muffins, but the actual number varies - probably depending on how much extra zucchini I try to sneak in. One tip: spray the muffin tins as you go once you get past a dozen, so you don't have to clean the oil out of empty tins.
2. Best breakfast in the world: two of these muffins, topped with a shmear of all-natural peanut butter, accompanied by a fruit punch smoothie. Veggies + fruit + protein for breakfast. I'm telling you, it's like a shot of virtuosity.
3. Use your grown-up points wisely. I recommend chocolate zucchini cake.

Here, Taste This : Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Wow. The first week of school is no joke, n'est pas? My butt is officially whipped. Getting up early after a summer of sleeping in, agonizing over still-too-late bedtimes, squeezing in football practices and gymnastics lessons, keeping track of new schedules, new start times, new teachers, new, new, new. It's a lot. It's possible at this point I have more adrenaline pulsating through my body than blood. I need to grab an energy drink to calm down.

Corey was home this week (thank you Jesus) so I originally intended to cook dinner every night. Then the real world walked up to me, slapped me across the face and said, "Bwhahahahahaha!" And lo, the real world speaks truth. I wasn't even home at the dinner hour most nights this week, much less have energy to invest in a from-scratch meal.

Time to dig out the slow cooker from its summer home behind the ice cream maker and ice crusher. I resisted the Crock-Pot for years, because as a SAHM, I can make most slow cooker meals in my oven. Braising is braising is braising. And in the winter, it's nice to have my oven on low for half the day, making the kitchen warm and toasty and filling the house with good smells. But I will admit: the slow cooker is a wonderful tool, especially for days when the schedule is jammed. And it's especially wonderful in the early fall, when the outside temps are still in the 80s and I don't really want my oven on for half the day.

This meal is one of my all-time favorites for the slow cooker because it's so easy (seriously: 7 ingredients) and it's kid friendly and it can morph into so many different dishes. Tacos, taco salad, nachos, quesadillas, burritos. I bet you could even send this as a school lunch, if you filled a thermos with warmed meat. Imagine your child bringing a make-your-own-taco kit to the cafeteria. Take that, Lunchables.



Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
adapted from Everyday Food

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 tsp jarred minced garlic
1/2 cup salsa
1-2 tbsp chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Put chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker crock. Top with remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.
2. Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4 hours. Shred with fork and serve alongside your favorite taco fixings, such as rice and beans, limes, cilantro, cheese, salsa, guacamole or avocados. Hard shell or soft shell? Your choice.

Tips:
1. You can easily double or even triple this recipe. I do it all the time. I buy the 3 pack of organic chicken thighs at Costco and make enough so I can freeze shredded chicken for crazy days.
2. Chicken thighs are disgusting. They are at the top of my Least Favorite Things list. I don't like dark meat, I don't like the extra fat, I don't like the way they squish. I usually subsitute chicken breasts in recipes that call for chicken thighs. But that would be a travesty in this recipe. Take my advice and use the chicken thighs, at least once. They add flavor, tenderness and maybe even fat to this dish and they really can't be traded out.
3. This dish looks disguesting when you first mix it up.

See? (Warning: DO NOT PIN THAT PHOTO!) Do not be swayed. I promise that mess will taste amazing in just a few hours.

I Don't Have Wine Glasses But I'm OK With That Now

The panic hit as I stood balanced on a kitchen chair, peering into the black recess of my kitchen cupboard.

I was hunting for wine glasses, when I remembered: I don't have wine glasses. I have chubby water glasses that I pretend are elegant stemware. When it's just me drinking Two Buck Chuck with dinner, it's easy to live in delusion. But that night, I had friends coming over for a dinner party. Smart friends. Talented friends. Friends who can cook and tablescape and make witty jokes. Friends who undoubtedly have wine glasses in their own kitchen cupboards, and who probably drink something more sophisticated than Charles Shaw Pinot Grigio.

What was I doing? My heart started to race. Had I lost my mind? Did I forget I have four kids underfoot 26 hours a day? Did I think my friends wouldn't notice the tumbleweeds of dog hair that drift from under the sofa, that they would think my lack of fresh flowers more laissez-faire than lazy? Did I imagine wine glasses are some sort of frivolous accessory to a dinner party? Might I serve them wine in sippy cups?

Then Shauna Niequist slapped me across the face and chuckled a little at my shocked expression and said, "Get a grip, woman!" Or she would have, had she been standing in my kitchen. Because she knows this particular dilemma, and she is always reminding us that parties aren't about perfectionism (Get thee behind me, Pinterest) and food is about more than flavors.

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table is Shauna's newest masterpiece. (Have you read it yet?) Like the rest of Shauna's books (Bittersweet and Cold Tangerines, for the uninitiated), this book is a collection of essays about living and loving and learning to grow. But this book focuses on all my favorite things: food and fellowship and how bread and wine are as common as the sunrise and just as transcendent. Naturally, I love it. Each chapter includes a recipe and a story surrounding it, and several of the recipes have become regulars in my line-up already.

But her stories are sweeter than her blueberry crisp, and they sink right down to your spirit, and lay out a feast for our souls.

On her purpose for writing the book:

What's become clearer and clearer to me is that the most sacred moments, the ones in which I feel God's presence most profoundly, when I feel the goodness of the world most arrestingly, take place at the table. The particular alchemy of celebration and food, of connecting people and serving them things I've made with my own hands, come together and are more than the sum of their parts. I love the sounds and smells and textures of life at the table, hands passing bowls and forks clinking againt plates and bread being torn and the rhythm and energy of feeding and being fed.

And a story about how perfectionism wants to paralyze us and steal our joy:

I cohosted a party, and one of the things I brought was frozen meatballs. I love to cook, and I was planning, of course, to make them from scratch. But it was too much for me, too much time and energy I don't have in this time of the year. [She's writing about the holiday season in this chapter.]

And of course no one cared. That's the lesson in this for people like me who sometimes get wound up about doing things perfectly: 90 perfect of the people in your life won't know the difference between, say, fresh and frozen, or handmade and store-bought, and the 10 perfect who do notice are just as stressed-out as you are, and your willingness to choose simplicity just might set them free to do the same.

Ah yes. There it is. The face slap that helped me stop the freak-out the night of my dinner party.

Choose simplicity. It sets people free.

So I grabbed my chubby water glasses and set them on the table next to the inexpensive white dishes from Target and the chartreuse paper napkins from Ikea. And then my friends came to the door, with fresh flowers and dishes to share and we marveled over each other's contributions to the meal.

Dana finished the sauce for her homemade pasta while we uncorked the wine and drooled a little over the flourless chocolate cake.

And we sat down to a feast in every way.

Because the quality of the wine isn't measured by what you pour it in, and food and friends are about more than the table before us.