We have this strange corner in the butler's pantry that probably covers some kind of pipe.  There's a little cabinet there - it's long, narrow and very shallow.  In reality, it's not a great storage spot for much of anything.  It does fit all my Everyday Food mags pretty nicely, though. I have all the issues - starting at number 2 - and refer to specific ones often.  This magazine has always made so much sense to me - easy to make food without too many steps or unusual ingredients.  I also think a subscription is a bargain - there is so much good information for a little amount of money.  It's perfect for week night cooking and for busy families.  And really, who isn't busy these days?  I find, though, that we go back to the same recipes over and over again because I know those recipes so well that there is no guess work at the grocery store. I'd like to widen my repetoire and this is where you come in.

I'm looking to shake up dinner time just a little bit and would appreciate your help. Are there certain Everyday Food recipes that you go back to again and again? If so, would you share them with me in the comments? If you know the month and year, that'd be great. If not, no worries, still tell. I might be able to find it anyhow.

Just to start things rolling, two go-to meals in our house are:

Lime marinated skirt steak and chili-roasted sweet potato wedges from January/February 2006 (#29) - most often I serve these two items with roasted zucchini and sweet onions (large dice, toss w/a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes).

The spinach and proscuitto lasagna from October 2008 (#56) - We skip the proscuitto because one person won't eat it and I often use a small rectangular casserole dish instead of a square one with 9 instead of 6 noodles, but the same amount of filling. I find that seasoning the ricotta/spinach mixture with the salt and pepper, and maybe a bit more garlic, is key. Serve it with a salad and some bread - yum!

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all like.  And then, I'm going to cook up a storm.

I like making small food gifts at this time of the year.  Last year, I was all about the popcorn - Jennie's maple version and Molly's caramel and peanut stuff. Yum.  This year I opted for gingerbread for friends and neighbors.  I used Jen's recipe and it is super easy and super delicious.  I made the labels in Illustrator and then used one of the Reprodepot designs on card stock as a band.

Fatty and I also exchange culinary gifts with my family.  I put up pickles this summer and saved a jar for each of my brothers and my parents.  Amisha's packaging was my inspiration for those jar lids, although hers are much better looking.  Fatty read about Giada's orangecello in the newspaper and decided that he was going to make that.  He did - yum.  I can't find a link, but it's similar to limoncello, just with oranges instead.  I also made some brioche because really, a jar of pickles isn't that difficult.  I used the recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  It looks delicious (no photos, though) - I'll report back after we taste it.

Do you cook or bake or make food gifts?  What consumables are you giving this year?

On Sunday, I made applesauce.

It's such a no-brainer for me.  Peel the apples, slice and core them.  Or do it all at the same time with one of these nifty gadgets (That's the same brand I own and use).  Fill a heavy pot to the top with apples.  Add about 2 cups of water.  Put the lid on.  Bring to a boil and then turn the heat very low.  Simmer until the cook down, stirring occasionally.  For a big batch like this, it was about 3 hours.  A small batch - 4 or 5 apples and 1/2 c water - takes maybe 1/2 hour.  I don't add sugar or cinnamon, but you could.  Easy enough.

I portioned this batch into a few freezer bags, laid them flat on a cookie tray, and froze them.  Each bag holds enough for a family meal with a little leftover for my oatmeal the next day.  When it's time to eat it, defrost in the refrigerator or on the countertop.  Or just pop the frozen sauce in a pot and reheat over low heat. Even easier.

Also, this post of Molly's is really lovely.

I'm working on a shop update for late next week. Thursday, I think. Camera straps and more.

Jane thinks she is going to sew her own Halloween costume. I'd better get on that.

I've been tapped to be in charge of the school auction children's art projects.  I have some ideas, but am looking for some others.  Our school is kindergarten through eighth grade and I especially need projects for the littlest (K, 1st) and biggest (7th, 8th).  If you have one to share, I'd love to hear about it.

Happy Tuesday.

I'm a fan of a hot lunch.  I eat leftovers from the night before, or if I go the sandwich route, it's almost always on toast.  I often make egg whites, but recently I've been taking a little extra time to make myself a frittata.  Because we are still picking tomatoes from the garden (crazy, I know!), I've been doing my own riff on a caprese frittata.   Here's how I do it:

Pre-heat the broiler.  Take a little olive oil and heat it on the stove in an oven proof pan.  Add about 10 - 12 small tomatoes cut in half and season with salt and pepper.  Saute the tomatoes for a minute or so and then add some chopped basil to taste.  In a small bowl, whisk 3 egg whites with 1 egg.  Pour the egg mixture into the pan, stir it a bit so the eggs get under the vegetables.  Sprinkle the top with a bit of mozzarella cheese.  Cover the pan and cook the eggs over medium heat until they are set.  Once the eggs are set, remove the lid and place the pan under the broiler until the top is browned to your liking.  Using a spatula, slide the frittata onto a plate and enjoy.

It takes little time - about 10 minutes - and is super satisfying. This just may be my go-to lunch this fall.  Of course, I won't have garden tomatoes and basil much longer so I am looking for other combinations.  My friend Traci likes her egg whites with spinach, tomatoes and goat cheese.  Emily turned me onto carmelized onion and zucchini frittata.  I think leftover roasted veggies in eggs would be great as would some chicken taco meat, black beans and salsa.  There are all kinds of options.  If you have a favorite combination, I'd love to hear about it.

Back tomorrow, I hope.  I've been knitting.  And sewing.

Seeing as it is Saturday, I thought I'd tell you about my second biggest success of last weekend.  The biggest success, of course, was completing Hazel's new bed, but really that is neither here nor there.  The second biggest success was culinary and deserves a post of its own.

Sunday morning I found myself craving - and I mean I-need-it-right-now craving - some kind of fruity baked good.  For a minute, probably less, I considered putting the girls back in the car (we'd just arrived home from church) for a quick trip to the bakery, but I couldn't be bothered.  Kate had a friend coming over and Jane was set to meet up with a pal of hers and Fatty was driving home from a 50 mile mountain bike race in Georgia (an entirely different story all together).  It just seemed like too much to manage.  I briefly considered raiding the frozen chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer for a quick fix, but I knew that it wouldn't do.  There was no way chocolate chips were going to fill the need for warm, sweet fruit so I took a quick look in the fridge.  Raspberries!  They are my favorite berry and didn't I just see a recipe for some kind of berry scone? Yes, indeed.  Raspberry scones!

I quickly read the recipe and sighed at the sight of buttermilk on the list of ingredients.  I am not a good southern cook who stocks this at all times.  My brother might have some on hand, but that's another car ride so, that is not going to cut it.  Then I remember reading about making-do with milk and, what was it?, as a buttermilk substitute.  A quick google search and I have my answer: vinegar (or lemon juice, in a pinch).  Now I'm in business.

The oven is preheated by the time I have the dough out of the food processor.  I fold the raspberries in and three minutes later, after sprinkling sugar on top, they are in the oven.  Eighteen minutes later, I brew some more coffee.  Five minutes after that, the craving is more than satisfied.  Did these ever do the trick!

If you find yourself craving a little savory plus sweet, give these scones a try.  The dough is wonderfully flavored and not too sweet - I imagine it would work well with any number of additions.  The only change I would make is to sprinkle the tops with raw, or turbinado, sugar if you have it instead of your garden variety white.  I think it'd be a lovely touch, but the white works well enough as is.

Friday night I made the dill pickles.  I used this recipe which I cut in half. I also cut my cukes into spears before I soaked them and then processed for 10 minutes at the end. I'll let you know how they turn out in a month or so.  Waiting is hard.

Saturday we spent the day at the final swim meet of the season and then at the school carnival that night.  Can you say tired?

Sunday I quilted some fabric for a project. It won't get finished for a few weeks as the machine needs to go into the shop.  It's not good when the little screwdriver and wrench icon shows up on the display.

Monday I baked a pie because the peaches were ripe and I like pie.  Good reasons if you ask me.

And because we are talking about food....there is a little feature on our everyday dinner tables over on The Stir.  If you are so inclined, please take a look.  There are many great table setting ideas in this series. Thanks for including me, Sheri.

I'm going to take a blog break of a week, maybe two.  I'll be back with news on a project that I have been working on behind the scenes since last fall.  I'm excited to share that with you. (It's not a book.)  Until then, take care.

Friday night I made the dill pickles.  I used this recipe which I cut in half. I also cut my cukes into spears before I soaked them and then processed for 10 minutes at the end. I'll let you know how they turn out in a month or so.  Waiting is hard.

Saturday we spent the day at the final swim meet of the season and then at the school carnival that night.  Can you say tired?

Sunday I quilted some fabric for a project. It won't get finished for a few weeks as the machine needs to go into the shop.  It's not good when the little screwdriver and wrench icon shows up on the display.

Monday I baked a pie because the peaches were ripe and I like pie.  Good reasons if you ask me.

And because we are talking about food....there is a little feature on our everyday dinner tables over on The Stir.  If you are so inclined, please take a look.  There are many great table setting ideas in this series. Thanks for including me, Sheri.

I'm going to take a blog break of a week, maybe two.  I'll be back with news on a project that I have been working on behind the scenes since last fall.  I'm excited to share that with you. (It's not a book.)  Until then, take care.

Thank you for all the good pickle recipes and links.  I've got the pickling cukes cut into spears, sitting in ice water so I can process them tonight.  I'll let you know how that goes.

The non-pickling cucumbers are getting their own chance to shine in the form of refrigerator or quick pickles.  There are lots of good recipes/links for this kind of pickle in the cucumber post, too.  Here's how I do it:

Peel and then slice your cucumbers to the desired thickness. You can slice them thinly or up to a 1/4 inch, whatever you desire.  Pack the slices tightly in jars.  Add a few peppercorns (maybe 6 or so?) and a couple slices of onion to each jar.  In a saucepan over high heat, combine a mixture of sugar and vinegar in a 1 to 2 ratio (for these 9 pint jars, I used 3 cups of sugar and 6 cups of vinegar).  Stir until the sugar dissolves. When the mixture comes to a boil, pour it over the cucumbers leaving about 1/2 inch headroom in each jar.  Put the lid and screw ring in place and move to the refrigerator.  They'll be ready to eat in about four hours and will keep for a week or so.

Have a great weekend. I hope to rip some stitches and maybe sew some, too.