In Jennie's Kitchen

homemade manicotti

  

I try to never go back on my word. It's one of the tenets of parenting. You must keep your promises (which is why it's also important to be careful what promises you make!). Well, I know I teased you with my last post on Parmesan Skillet Croutons. I said it was the start of a mini-series in baby steps in cooking that would lead to a velvety, comforting rich tomato soup. That was before i found out that my recipe for homemade manicotti was a finalist over at Food 52. So, please forgive me for my little white lie. I promise next week to come back with a recipe for homemade bouillon (baby step #2). But, today, let's talk about these tender pasta crepes filled with creamy tufts of fresh ricotta cheese and lightly dressed with marinara sauce.

I can't recall the first time I tasted homemade manicotti, but the experience left an indelible impression on my tastebuds. I'd never been a fan of them, and that was likely because the commercially manufactured ones are belly bombers. My family never made them from scratch.

Then one day I found myself in the kitchen with the urge to make them myself. I started by making some fresh ricotta. It's incredibly easy, so give it a try. If you pressed for time, then it's okay to buy it, but make sure it's fresh—you'd just be doing yourself a disservice otherwise. And don't forget about the marinara sauce. Surprisingly, I've never posted my recipe, so here's the short version.

parmesan skillet croutons

I can't decide if this week is flying by or dragging on interminably. I was very relieved to tuck into bed Monday night, realizing I had gotten through what I expected to be a difficult day. I spent it surrounded by the Mr. and my beautiful little girls. It's those small, quiet moments of reflection that so many take for granted, even myself sometimes.

The next few posts are going to be baby steps in cooking. The final result will be a velvety slow roasted tomato soup. Now this may seem a little backwards, but I'm going to start off with the garnish: parmesan skillet croutons. I love the contrast of crunchy bites floating in a bowl of creamy soup. I used to bake my croutons until one day I was at a friend's house and noticed her sauteeing them on the stove top. Her mother had just been there for a visit and that's how she noticed her preparing them. It was so simple, yet genius in my mind. Why heat up the house with the oven—it was summertime when this revelation occurred.

I've been preparing my croutons in a skillet ever since. Croutons are the perfect use for day-old bread, although you can certainly use fresh bread if you gobbled it all up from the night before. I prefer them diced into small cubes but feel free to make larger ones if you like. And, while you're at it, why not let loose and play around with the seasonings too.

brown butter banana nut muffins

It's a stormy day in Brooklyn today. This is fitting given the occasion. Today is 12 years since my dad died—he was only 49, and the day we buried him it was cold, rainy and the winds were full of gust. He never lived the life he wanted. He dreamed of being an artist, and what an amazing one he was, but his father didn't support that dream. His father was also an alcoholic, as was his sister, and that was a noose around his neck that he unfortunately battled his whole life...and often succumbed to.

Our relationship had been strained for a long time before he died, but we'd made our peace a week before he was hospitalized. When I left the hospital that day, I was at the elevator bank and wanted to run back for one last hug and kiss. I decided it could wait until my next visit in a week. I was going to talk with my boss about a leave of absence after finding out he only had a few months left to live. Three days later, I got a call that he was in a coma, and it would only be a matter of time since he had signed a DNR.

Twenty-seven hours later I watched as the last breath left his body. It is an experience I cannot fully put into words. Something happens when you watch someone alive one moment and gone the next. It is humbling in a way. While we know life is just a short visit in the scope of things, the fact really hits home when you see it disappear in an instant. I also learned the hard way to seize the moment. I often dream of what that final hug and kiss would've felt like had I ran back from the elevators the week before.

Now, I'm sorry if I've saddened you because that is not really the point. The lesson I took away after losing my father was to always, always, always follow my dreams—no matter how uncertain they may seem or fearful of failure I may be. As I told my daughter just yesterday, every mistake is a chance to learn. Learn how to do it better the next time, and the next time, and so on.

caramelized onion dip

I've been making small changes to the big picture in terms of eating these days. If there's one thing motherhood has taught me, it's patience. While I'm not perfect in that department, watching the way my girls have hit big milestones is proof that some things just have to happen at their own pace. I've come to accept that's the case for losing these last few baby pounds. I'm not a quit-cold turkey sort of gal. What I can do, though, is take baby steps. I've added more smoothies to my breakfast routine, as well as swapped bagels for a poached egg with fruit and whole grain toast—a good balance of protein and fiber. Come the weekend, I break out the bacon for Sunday brunch.

Snacking is the tough part. I love salty and sweet things, so while the Mr. watched the Jet game last weekend, it gave me an excuse to revisit an old friend: onion dip. While I've never bought a packet of onion soup, I'm not shy about digging in when I'm at someone else's house. True the ingredients itself aren't full of fat and calories, and I can certainly substitute fat-free sour cream, but in the end all I'd be left with is a chemical-laden snack.

walnut fudge brownies

There's nothing like a nut-studded, fudgy brownie to cure a chocolate hankering. Problem is many recipes lure me in with promises of chewy, chocolate squares of goodness only to leave me crestfallen from the first bite. Thankfully, I've created the perfect brownie recipe to satisfy my craving whenever the mood strikes.

The first hurdle to overcome is the notion of a one bowl batter. Like all good things, this one comes at a price—a few extra dishes to wash. One for melting the chocolate and butter, another for combining the dry ingredients, and the last for the most important part—whisking the eggs and sugar. This last bowl is where all the other ingredients will eventually land to create the batter for the best brownies...ever. Yes, I'm that serious about this recipe.

how to poach an egg

You know that feeling when you come across something so perfect you just want to tell everyone? Maybe even scream it from a mountain top? I had that moment during lunch yesterday. After a day of going into the city for a meeting, chasing sunshine before and after to snap shots of scones and a chicken and Meyer lemon tagine I'd made the night before (recipes to come soon, I promise), I realized what was causing my faint-like feeling. I was starving. Embarrassing as it is to admit, all I'd eaten was a nibble of some lemon yogurt cranberry scone and a cup of coffee—and it was 1:30pm.

Eggs are always my back up when I need nourishment stat since they're super quick to cook. Ah, but my Ten in 10 promise to start eating healthier creeped into my conscience. Did I really want to smear the cast iron with butter and fry one. Well, of course I did, but I was good. I decided to poach one and have it with multi-grain toast. Problem is I don't do it that often and always mean to teach myself the right technique. Simply Recipes has a good post on the topic and Epicurious has a great how-to-video. I mainly followed the Epicurious directions with the following adaptations:

• I used one of those pump extra virgin olive oils instead of regular cooking spray.
• As soon as the egg started to set, I took a cue from Elise at Simply Recipes and shut the heat off. I then gently placed the ladle at the bottom and let it rest there for 2 or 3 minutes while the yolk set.

I should mention my egg slipped out of the ladle much easier than the one on the Epicurious video—I was a bit worried when I saw how much they had to wiggle it. While Elise says it's best to use vinegar so the egg white congeals, the Epicurious method eliminates the need since the whole egg rests nicely in the ladle. There you have it. The news I couldn't wait to share. And it's just in time for your weekend brunch menu.

 

granola + berry smoothie

New year, new goals, right? I'm determined to add a workout routine to my 2010 calendar, but first need to get through sleep training the baby. I have the great fortune of an enormous kitchen by New York City standards. The downside is we only have two bedrooms, and any hope of sleep training goes out the window when child number two comes along. So, I've decided to take control of my eating habits until I can negotiate the puzzle pieces and carve out time to get the heart rate pumping (besides racing to rescue the baby from climbing stools, chairs and stairs).

french onion soup

Here's the recipe you've been waiting for all week. I tweeted, twitpic'd and it was day six of project 365. I'm pretty sure it has also driven a twitter pal crazy since I mentioned a secret ingredient but wouldn't divulge it until I posted the recipe.

I should take a few steps back before giving up the goods. I was minding my own business, catching up on food blogs, when I came across Jen's tempting pictures of what she'd been cooking while visiting her parents. They'd just recently made Julia and Jacques' French onion soup, and next thing I knew I was slicing onions. It just so happens I'd bought some at the farmers' market the week before for that very purpose but got sidetracked by the New Year holiday. No beef stock on hand, I started improvising. I could've made a quick vegetable stock, but work had piled up over the vacation and I needed a quicker solution.

pizza for project 365

I'm easing into the New Year with some photos of last night's dinner. I've been making pizza for over 15 years, and there's always room to learn a few new tricks. While I live right across the street from the infamous Lucali's, I haven't dined there in about two years. Why pay $24 for a pie when I can come pretty darn close to recreating the results in my own kitchen?

I used this recipe but nixed the food processor and decided to mix the dough, using 2 cups of the flour, in a bowl with a wooden spoon. I kneaded in the remaining flour, and what a wonderful way to relax it proved to be. I know no-knead dough is all the craze right now, but frankly, I loved connecting with my meal in such a primal way.