Crispy Kale....a crunchy guilt-free treat

If, like me, the mere thought of another bite-sized candy bar brings your post-Halloween candy-hangover raging back at full-force, the prospect of healthy snack probably sounds pretty good by now. And boy to I have one!

Bear with me here, because I'm probably going to lose some of you with this one: Oven-roasted Crispy Kale.

I realize how weird and strange the propect of baked kale leaves may sound --every time I make this, JiT eyes me warily for a bit before eventually grabbing a handful and munching away. But it really is quite tasty.

If you're not familiar with kale, its one of those threatening-looking, insanely cheap, dark grean leafies that looms scarily in the nether-regions of the produce section. Its incredibly healthy -- packed with vitamins and fiber and easy too cook. Sautee it with some olive oil for a side dish, mix with pasta or....my absolute favorite, crisp it in the oven.

Sprayed or lightly drizzled with olive oil and sea salt and placed in a thin layer on a cookie sheet, the leaves bake to a delicate crisp in about 10 minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Don't let them go to long or they'll start to burn -- and burned kale is yucky. But if you catch them at the perfect moment, when they're still bright green and light as a feather, they crunch in your mouth just like a chip. And with the olive oil and sea salt for seasoning, they really taste excellent. I actually prefer these to potato chips, and completely without the guilt. Happy snacking!

As a note, JiT and I are headed to Italy tomorrow for a week of fun in Florence, Chianti and Rome. We'll be sipping wine, munching pasta, cheese and truffles, taking a cooking class with a real Italian chef, wandering the streets of Volterra, visiting the Vatican and taking tons of pictures. While we've decided to ditch our laptops for the week, I'll be sharing all the details and probably some new recipes, as soon as I return. Until then, Ciao!

Crispy Kale
Serves 2

1 medium bunch of fresh kale, washed, dried and center rib stripped away
Olive oil (perferably in a mister for spraying)
sprinkle of sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large, rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. If using olive oil in a mister, simply place kale in an even layer on the cookie sheet and spray with an even layer of olive oil. Otherwise, place kale in a bowl, drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss with your hands, making sure every leaf has a light, even coat. Then arrange on the cookie sheet in an even layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Place in the center rack of the oven and bake for 8 - 10 minutes, watching carefully to ensure the kale is baking evenly and does not burn. You may need to shift the leaves around a bit to ensure even baking. Kale is ready when the leaves are still green but cripy to the touch. Do not brown or burn. Dump into a bowl and serve immediatley.

Red Velvet "Vampire Bite" Cupcakes

With Halloween fast approaching, not to mention the looming release of a certain vampire-themed movie, it seemed like the perfect time to create a spooky, vampire bite cupcake.

Right away, I knew I wanted to do a red velvet cupcake. Red velvet seems to be experiencing a massive surge in popularity -- maybe because so many of the fancy cupcake "boutiques" seem to offer them, or maybe just because they're simultaneously comforting and kitchy. Whatever the reason, I find that red velvet is a flavor best consumed in fall or winter. Their intriguing not-quite-chocolate-not-quite-vanilla flavor and slightly heavier crumb can hold up to chilly weather (not to mention a cup of hot cocoa), and they simply beg for a dollop of cream cheese frosting -- the ultimate fall dessert topper.

The cupcakes themselves turned out very well. I adapted my recipe from one on the blog Best Cupcake Recipes. Made with cake flour, the cupcakes maintained a nice texture and a slight moistness. JiT remarked that they were a bit dryer than some of the other recipes I've made, but I thought they were perfect when paired with the gooey frosting. Don't be scared by the amount of food coloring...you could use less but you'll lose some of the disturbing red color.

As for the fang decoration, that was fairly easy to add once they were frosted. Though I've seen a similar treatment done with cherry pie filling, I decided to go a simpler route. I simply dipped a wooden toothpick into red food coloring, then poked a "fang hole" in the frosting, drug a line through to make a blood trail and repeated for the second "fang." Just keep in mind that the food coloring goes a long way, so you only need a drop for each, otherwise the color will start to bleed into the surrounding frosting.

Wishing you a safe and happy Halloween...I hope you have a bloody good time!

Red Velvet "Vampire Bite" Cupcakes

makes 22 regular size cupcakes

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 oz. red food coloring (one full bottle)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl that can be used with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.

Next, with the mixer on low speed, add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beating until well combined, and continuing to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will fizz when combined so be sure to use a bowl large enough to contain it. Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Fill cupcake cups with cake batter until they are a little under 3/4 full -- an ice cream scoop measures the perfect size.

Place cupcakes in the oven and bake for approximately 20, rotating pans halfway through. To check doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of a cupcake in the middle of the tin. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready. Remove from oven and let cool in the muffin tins for a few minutes, then move to wire rack to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting (below) and, if desired, decorate with vampire bite marks.

Cream Cheese Frosting

frosts apx. 2 dozen cupcakes

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 8oz. package cream cheese (or lite cream cheese), softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons whipping cream (more or less as needed to acheive the consistency you desire)

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in vanilla. With the mixture on low speed, gradually add in powdered sugar, a little at a time until smooth and fluffy. Add in whipping cream and whip on high until frosting is smooth and creamy. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag (I just use a 1 qt Ziploc bag with the tip sliced off) and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired and enjoy.

Baked Apple Pancake

As a child, I remember my mother taking us to a place called Milly's Pancake House in southern Wisconsin about twice a year for breakfast. The specialty at Milly's was the baked apple pancake. Each pancake was baked to order and I can remember the wait feeling like forever, but if I sat patiently I was rewarded with my giant, golden pancake. Puffy and crispy on the outside with a custard-like center, studded with warm, soft fresh apples. The cake needed little more than a drizzle of syrup.

This morning, I woke up from a dream about those pancakes and, as I looked out at the perfect golden fall leaves and crisp air outside, I quickly realized the day couldn't possibly continue without one. Luckily, the recipe calls mostly for pantry staples and I had all the ingredients in the house. Even better, in spite of my childhood assumptions that these cakes were a work of pure magic or immense culinary prowess, it turns out they're an absolute breeze to put together and you don't end up standing in your robe over a hot griddle flipping cakes all morning.

Simply peel and thinly slice your apples and arrange in a greased baking dish (or a cast iron skillet for a rustic, fall look), dot with butter and let the apples cook in the oven for a bit. Meanwhile, mix your batter together, then dump into the hot pan, sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and bake for twenty minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and maple syrup (and, if you'd like, hot coffee and bacon) and watch the delicious disappear -- that's the true magic of this recipe! The JiT called it one of the best breakfasts ever, and that's saying a lot!

Baked Apple Pancake

Serves 2

2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced

3 Tbs. butter

3/4 cup milk

3 eggs

1 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup all purpose flour (or 1/4 c. each all purpose and whole wheat flour)

1 Tbs. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet, deep dish pie plate or 9 x 9" square baking dish. Arrange apple slices in the bottom of the pan in an overlapping pattern. Dot top with butter and place pan in the oven for 10 minutes, or until butter is melted and apples are slightly soft.

Meanwhile, combine milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add flour and whisk until batter is smooth. Pull pan from oven and pour batter evenly over the apples. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over all, then place pan back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until pancake is puffed and golden on the top and firm in the center. Serve immediately, warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and maple syrup.

Spatchcocked Roast Chicken

The last few weeks have been a bit of a blurry mess for me. Work seems to keep taking over and every time I think things are going to get quieter, something else comes up. Its made for an interesting and rather hectic fall and it doesn't look to calm down anytime soon.

But everytime I've had a chance to breathe -- and in my world that also means a chance to cook -- I've found myself making a roast chicken. The September issue of Bon Appetit featured a roast chicken on the cover and the damn thing continues to inspire me each and every time I look at it. The beauty of this particular roast chicken is how quickly it can be prepared.

The method is called "spatchcocking," and yes I realize how unsavory that sounds but in reality is savorily awesome!! Essentially, you're going to ask your butcher to cut the backbone out of a whole chicken for you. My recommendation is to go to a local butcher or a Whole Foods store if you have one and just ask at the butcher counter. At my Whole Foods it literally takes them under a minute to do this. Just say: "I'd like to buy a whole chicken about 3.5 pounds, and can you please cut out the backbone for me?" (If desired, bat eyelashes and smile sweetly).

As a result you'll have a chicken thats basically split in half, which means it cooks much faster. When you get it home you rub it in a marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and stick in the fridge for a couple of hours or up to overnight. Then, stick it skin-side down in a hot, cast-iron pan for 7 or 8 minutes. Then into the oven for about 45 minutes. The result is moist, juicy delicious roast chicken in about half the time it would normally take, with crispy, delicious browned skin and moist deliciousness inside. If you can get beyond asking the butcher to customize your chicken you will be super happy with the results.

Next up this week, the brussel sprout and butternut squash mixture we enjoyed alongside. Sounds strange but tastes clutch. Beyond that, I might be a little MIA again. My dear friend Somer has had a family tradegy so I may have one more trip to take this month. Keep her in your prayers and I'll be back when I can. I miss you all...and your blogs!

Spatchcocked Roast Chicken

Serves 2-4

3.5 pound whole chicken, with the backbone removed

juice from 1/2 a lemon

1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced or crushed

1 sprig rosemary, chopped

salt and pepper

1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

Juice from remaining lemon half

3-4 springs fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

Cast iron pot or pan, or a regular brick wrapped in foil

Rub chicken with lemon juice from half a lemon, tablespoon olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Seal in a plastic bag and place in the refriderator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat tablespoon olive oil in a large, ovenproof skillet. Lay chicken out flat and place, skin-side down in the hot skillet. Leave on heat without moving for 7 - 8 minutes. Then place cast iron pot, pan or foil-wrapped brick on top of chicken to add weight and place in the oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes flip chicken over carefully and replace brick. Place back in oven for 10 to 15 minutes more, until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and place on a platter tented with foil to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice from second half of lemon, chopped parsley and red pepper flakes.

Meanwhile, place skillet back on stovetop over low heat. Add white wine and chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until jus is reduced by about half and thickened. Pour jus over chicken before serving.

Hearty Goulash on Saveur

If you're looking at this picture and getting a feeling of deja vu its because, yes, you're right: I'm recycling this recipe from last year. But I have a good reason: Saveur.com just notified me that they've included my blog, and this Heary Goulash recipe in particular in their list of "Sites We Love". I'm a huge fan of Saveur magazine and I'm really excited to check out their newly refreshed Web site, so I feel really honored that they chose one of my recipes to be part of it.

And what perfect timing too....the weather in Chicago has been so cold and gloomy and my schedule has been INSANE (I'll tell you more below), so after recieving the email from Savuer yesterday I immediately decided that Goulash would be the perfect dinner. Its easy to fix (just brown your meat and onions, add your tomatoes, spices and pasta, cover and simmer for awhile), and incredibly warm, hearty and comforting to eat. Plus it tastes even better reheated as lunch leftovers for the rest of the week.

If you've already made this recipe, I'm curious what you think. Did you do anything differently? Its pretty adaptable...let me know! Plus, visit the recipe on the Saveur site to add your ratings and reviews there. I'm sure other users would appreciate the input.

So, in leiu of the recipe, which is already available here, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my week since its been kind of an interesting one (and should explain why I've been so remiss in posting of late). We'll do this in bulletted fashion:

• Friday: At 4pm, found out one of the Edelman clients that I work with would be part of a segment on Larry King Live on Monday. By 7:30 pm I was booking my flight to NYC to help coordinate a spokesperson appearance on the show.
• Saturday: Worked for four hours, then had a super pleasant evening with JiT. We went to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner in front of their fireplace. Then off to the movies to see Zombieland (I liked it)!
• Sunday: Made Panko Crusted Chicken with Mustard-Maple Pan Glaze, but realized that JiTs camera battery was dead. Boo.
• Monday: Woke up at 4am to make flight to NYC. Worked most of the day in Edelman's NYC office. Checked into my hotel and found out that the entire lobby was closed because they were filming the new Sex and the City movie....right then. There were extras running around in crazy costumes, but I didn't see any of the big players. Then headed to CNN studios to support our spokesperson. I ended up having a 10 minute one-on-one conversation with Anthony Bourdain (!!!!!) in the green room, talking about my upcoming trip to Italy and his favorite travel spots. Then went back to my SITC hotel and went to bed.
• Tuesday: Up at 6am ET to fly home. Worked from home all afternoon. Made Goulash. Went to bed.
• Rest of this week....kind of nuts as we're getting ready to attend a big conferenece for work and then I'll be in Denver to attend the conference Saturday through Tuesday. So I'll probably be MIA until late next week. But promise to resurface with new recipes and maybe a pie or two before the end of the month.

Apple French Toast Bake

I've been on a bit of a breakfast kick, I guess. Plus it helps that there is daylight to work with during breakfast....and sometimes my husband is even around to snap a photo (miracle!).

This is the first weekend in weeks that we've been home with absolutely nothing planned so JiT and I decided to make the most of it by sleeping in late, then waking up and making a hearty fall breakfast based on whatever we could find in the pantry. Lucky we have a well stocked pantry. We ended up with a baked french toast casserole, studded with chunks of fresh apple. Another round of warm apple compote, breakfast sausage patties and JiTs famous home fries. The man is a genius with breakfast potatoes.

However, the french toast bake was the clear star of the show. Based on a recipe I saw on my good friend TKTC's blog, this was a breeze to throw together using day-old bread, some fresh apples, and some milk and eggs. Toss it together in a pan, let it sit and soak for a bit, then into the oven. The end result is delightful -- crunchy and crusty on the outside, gooey and custard-like on the inside. The apples remain just a little bit crisp. Topped with a hearty dollop of warm apple compote, its like eating applesauce and custard mixed together. Delicious!

Needless to say, we skipped lunch on Saturday. And I went for a long run before dinner. On the docket today -- taking the car for an oil change, giving JiT a guided tour of the new Whole Foods, and roast chicken for dinner. In other words, my version of heaven. I may need to ban planned weekend activities for awhile.

Apple French Toast Bake
4 servings

Day-old bread, about 3/4 of a french loaf, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 medium-sized apple, peeled, cored and diced into 1 inch pieces
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 T. sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 T. butter, cut into tiny pieces
2 T. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and butter a small, ovenproof dish. Arrange bread and apple chunks evenly in the dish. In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and salt and whisk until combined. Pour mixture over the bread and let stand for about 15 minutes to let the egg mixture absorb into the bread. Press down on bread if needed to get top pieces wet.

Before baking, sprinkle dots of butter evenly over top of the casserole then sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the top. Place dish in oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until top is golden and wet mixture is set and none of the liquid remains in the center.

Serve hot with warm apple compote.

Bountiful Fall Breakfast

This past weekend, JiT and I drove out to Rockford to visit my parents. Well, actually, we were out that direction because I was attending a wedding in Madison on Saturday night. Since Madison is only an hour north of Rockford and I didn't want to stay by myself in Madison after the wedding, it made sense to make a weekend out of it. Instead of attending the wedding, JiT stayed in Rockford for the evening with my parents, since a planned business trip had been cancelled at the last minute.

The wedding was for one of my knitting group friends, Cassie. She is super-crafy and her wedding was absolutely beautiful, personal and full of amazing little details that made you smile (hand-sewn customized table runners, tissue paper flowers resting on each persons napkin, butterfly placecard holders). All in all, it made for a very sweet event.


In between the ceremony and the reception, I was able to spend some quality girl time with the ladies from my knitting group. We ended up at a nifty little dive bar in downtown Madison. The bar has a tree in the middle of it! Here I am with Jessica from Everyday Adventures (right in blue), Anne who doesn't have a blog, and Amanda from Simplified Mom (sitting right of me). We had fun.

On Sunday, back in Rockford, we enjoyed a wonderful, lazy morning. My mother declared that she was making breakfast -- pecan waffles and pancakes (she and JiT prefer pancakes, my father and I prefer waffles). Before I knew it, nearly the entire family was in the kitchen making a contribution. JiT decided to make country-fried breakfast potatoes, fresh baby potatoes diced and tossed with onions and green peppers, seasoned and cooked in a skillet until they're brown and crispy. Then G-ma helped JiT whip up cheesy scrambled eggs.

Since we'd been to the apple orchard the previous morning, I decided that pecan waffles would be even better topped with warm apple compote. This is such a simple and versatile recipe -- wonderful as a topping for pancakes and waffles, or eaten alone as a chucky apple sauce. For dessert, its delicous served warm over vanilla ice cream (like a crustless pie).

We ate our breakfast out on my parents screened porch, enjoying hot coffee and a cool breeze. A perfect way to kick off the fall.

Easy Warm Apple Compote
Serves 4 as a pancake or waffle topping

2 large apples, peeled cored and diced (I used Jonagolds)
1/4 sugar (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until apples are soft and mixture has a texture like chunky applesauce. If mixture becomes too try, add a bit of additional water.

Apples will begin to soften and break down. Use a fork to smash cooked apples until the texture reaches a consistency you prefer. Taste and adjust sugar and cinnamon to your liking. Serve warm over pancakes, waffles, ice cream or with a spoon. Can also be refridgerated and served cold as an applesauce.