All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025
As I watch my almost 6 month old grandson whip through several ounces of milk, I'm thinking it won't be long before he's ready to eat. As in solids. I remember the anxiety I felt when I knew #1 child was ready, but the world of food out there was full of pitfalls and worry. Like most new mothers, I started with packaged rice cereal, mixed with breast milk. Then it was on to mashed bananas ( nowadays, avocado is also suggested) and rice cereal, and then, a tentative step to freshly picked apples, simmered til soft, and mixed into the rice cereal or yogurt. We dubbed this Apple Snow, and it was an instant hit. Here it is 35 years later , and I'm relieved to find this is acceptable as one of the first foods to introduce to babies. And my firstborn daughter still loves to munch on freshly orchard- picked apples, crunching through the juiciness right down to the core.
To make:
1 cup sliced, peeled fresh organic apple
3 tablespoons water
pinch of cinnamon
Place apple, water, and cinnamon ( not necessary, but I thought it was an introduction to spices) in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, simmer 5 minutes, stirring several times to make sure the applesauce doesn't scorch. Take off heat and stir until the apples turn into applesauce. Cool, and feed as is, or mix with a few tablespoons or so of vanilla yogurt, or stir into baby rice cereal. Voila! Apple Snow.
PS: Once your child is a year old, you can add honey to the apple snow, but not before. Why? Read here.
Still very thin color here, but this area has very few sugar maples, which are the truly colorful trees. On my walk this morning I noticed the old antique apple tree finally has a few small apples, which the deer will eat once they fall to the ground. Beautiful light these days, and no need for a jacket - yet.
Oh my goodness, life has been hectic. The first few chilly almost-freezing nights led to that frantic Oh-my-gosh-winter's-coming awareness. The plants need to be covered, the trip to the pick-your-own apple orchard. Izzie's second grade soccer games, and almost-3 year old Frankie in a 2 day kindergarten. Baby Noah meeting his Aunt Noa. With both my daughter and daughter-in-law working, and three children's schedules, I happily get called on for babysitting in a pinch.
Furnaces cleaned, wood stoves readied, cleaning up the garden , and making time for hikes and walks before the snow, lots of time in the kitchen, making ratatouille and this wonderful cake from Life's a Feast : a light chocolate snacking cake, filed with dark unsweetened cherries and semi-sweet chocolate chips. We had a party in the kitchen one morning at 8 am with a roomful of family and lots and lots of food, including this cake, a stellar memory of September .
The original recipe (see it here) called for bottled cherries, but I used my favorite flash frozen dark sweet pitted cherries, sprinkled a little sugar on them, and let them thaw for 20 minutes or so, so the batter wouldn't be cold. And for a little more chocolate for all the chocolate lovers I added chocolate chips, but otherwise followed the recipe. It came out perfectly.
Chocolate and dark cherry cake
Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter or grease a bundt pan very well. Set aside.
7 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 3/4 cups King Arthur flour
3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used Ghirardelli)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups thawed frozen dark unsweetened cherries
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Measure the flour, cocoa powder, making powder, cinnamon and salt into a bowl and stir, set aside.
Measure the milk and vanilla in a cup and set aside.
Add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk and vanilla mixture.
Mix until blended well, then fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and the cherries.
Carefully fill the bundt pan evenly, then bake for 50 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on cooling rack for at least 20 minutes.
Carefully tap around the bundt pan with a rolling pin - hopefully this will help the cake slide out easily.
Upend the cake onto cooling rack and let cool. Dust with confectioner's sugar or cocoa powder and serve.
What? It's September? Apologies, I have been dealing with one emergency after another. I have not had a good nights slumber in weeks, and I look at my bed with longing and exhaustion. I cut a little bouquet today, made up of lemon verbena and rosemary - and a few sprigs of white phlox, hoping tonight I might finally get a good night's sleep.
First it was the smoke detectors.
1 am, and I wake to a chirp. Another chirp, a bleat. Then all three detectors go off, and I stumble to the phone to call the fire department. A sleepy eyed volunteer fireman checks the house, pushes a button, and heads off into the night. The next day I buy new batteries for the detectors, and install them.
Three nights later, the same thing. 12 midnight, and I'm entertaining the firemen again, but this time, the fire horn goes off. I hear the chatter on the firemen's beepers, telling them I don't think we really need all 20 firemen here, and I promise firmly to call the electrician pronto , who arrives late the next day, who tells me I need new smoke detectors. I grovel and ask him to show me how to disconnect the detectors, since it is clear there is no emergency. Four nights of blissful rest, until the new detectors are installed. One restless night, waiting for the blare again, but so far, so good. Did you know smoke detectors are only good for ten years? Me neither. Mine were 9 1/2 years old - so do the smart thing and get some new ones, if only for uninterrupted sleep.
Then last night, rain and thunderstorms for 12 hours straight. The rumblings turned into thunderclaps, and lightning strikes: no phone line and no tv, computer connection off for ten hours. The rain thunders down in streams and pounds the roof, the lightning flashes send me down to sit on the basement steps. The house shakes, the whole world rumbles and flashes. I finally fall asleep at 3.
But was there food, you ask. In between all this, there was making Emeril's delicious Muffuletta for my daughter's luncheon with Izzie, and emailing her the icing for the Reine de Saba cake she made for her Dad. Harvesting the overgrown Italian parsley for everything from smoothies to pesto-ish sauces. I'm embracing a longing for homemade bread, as the evening is turning chilly, and making turkey meatballs for Frankie tonight. The chilly air has me thinking about sweets and soups, so finally, I hope, back to normal.
Sweet dreams, I hope:)
Right on time, the wind has shifted. Mornings are suddenly cooler, and I'm drawn to the watery places, before they freeze. Afternoons are still warm and humid, but early mornings bring the swing of coolness.
I've been busy, making a birthday cake for my daughter, a gorgeous lemon curd delight with a lovely buttercream. It was so hot that day that the cake slid apart as I delivered it in the late afternoon, only two miles away. But, boy - it was one of the best cakes I've ever made. Bookmark, bookmark!
Cookies for my grands, first few days of school, their favorites - spicy, sturdy Spice Cookies for the lunchboxes. These are terrific for shipping, to all your kids away from home, as well as a welcoming of autumn weather.
Hope you also get out there to enjoy this September weather, wherever you are!
I have always been mystified by stories of runaway zucchini harvests. Wouldn't you know it - I, who love zucchini in all ways , have almost never had success with them. Happily, this year my daughter has an amazing garden, and has been sharing her extras with me. Including not only baby zukes, but a large (14 inches) but firm jumbo one. I'm usually content to simmer thickly sliced zucchini with oregano until just tender, but this day I had a hankering for focaccia. I made enough dough for three 8 inch rounds, drizzled with olive oil, topped with sliced onions and matchsticks of zucchini, then topped it off with fresh oregano leaves and parmesan and sharp cheddar. Something magical happened in the oven, because those were the best little focaccia I've ever made.
For the dough:
1 cup King Arthur whole wheat flour
1 cup King Arthur all purpose flour
1 T. fresh rosemary leaves, pulled off stems
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Whisk yeast into warm water, then whisk in oil.
Mix the flour, rosemary leaves, and salt in a large bowl.
Make a well in the flour, pour in the water/oil/yeast mixture, and stir in a circle until dough comes together. With the whole wheat flour, it may look a little dry, but it is silky after rising. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and put in a warm, draft free place, until it doubles in bulk - about an hour.
Make the topping - enough for 3 eight inch focaccia
handful of fresh oregano leaves
1 medium onion, peeled , cut in half lengthwise, then sliced thickly
olive oil
6 cups zucchini, sliced into medium matchsticks
3 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar and parmesan cheeses
kosher salt and a sprinkle of dried basil and oregano just before baking
Set aside.
When dough has risen, punch it down and divide into three pieces.
Shape each piece into an eight inch disc.
Drizzle a large baking sheet with olive oil and place the rounds on the sheet, not too close.
Let sit in barely warm oven THAT HAS BEEN TURNED OFF until doubled - about half an hour.
Remove dough and set oven to 360F.
Dimple the focaccia with your fingertips and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Toss the onion slices, and sprinkle over the focaccias.
Add the zucchini, about 2 cups per focaccia, then the cheeses, and the oregano sprigs.
Sprinkle with the salt, basil, and oregano.
Bake for 20 minutes or so, or until dough is slightly golden but soft.
Remove to cool, then slice.
While bittersweet, I love this time of year. End of the summer: the heat of July gives way to cool evenings and the glorious bounty of gardens - bushels of zucchini, tomatoes, finally!, fresh herbs, and sweet corn. I visit my favorite lake before the frosty nights signal the beginning of autumn, and putter around in the kitchen early in the morning, happy to have the sweet corn and zucchini from my daughter's vegetable garden. Suddenly, corn is everywhere, and when I found this recipe on Pinterest, I was intrigued.
As usual, I substituted what I had on hand to what the recipe called for - and for me, that usually means what I can snip in my small herb and vegetable garden, as well as the odds and ends from farmer's market days. The end result was a delightful and perky salad that works just as well as a side to the leftover chicken or steak from the grill, to standing nicely on its own. Today I had it for lunch with cottage cheese, tomorrow, I'm thinking it would be a wonderful filling for a cheddar cheese omelet.
First, the dressing. I substituted local honey for the sugar:
In a bowl, mix:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons local honey
kosher salt and fresh pepper
Set aside.
For the salad, I used:
3 large ears of corn, shucked and cut from the cobs
3/4 cup sliced fresh scallions
1 large peeled and seeded cucumber, diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup sliced greens: I used spinach, sorrel, and celery leaves - I had no arugula but next time will definitely use it. Mushrooms would be delicious as well.
1 + cup sliced herbs - I used basil, mint, parsley
Place the vegetables and herbs in a large bowl, pour over the dressing, toss and serve.
Update: I found just a few tablespoons of dressing were plenty on this salad - it's very tart.
Enjoy the last days of August!
Last week I was delighted to visit our local library for friend and neighbor Hillary Davis' book signing for her gorgeous, gorgeous new cookbook, Cuisine Nicoise. I'm so overcome by the recipes and the beautiful photographs - (and the history of her small town near Nice) - that the thought of a review overwhelms me. The evening was warm, and she handed out glasses of a very pretty but unidentified chilled soup as we settled in our seats.
I thought it might be cantaloupe, but the rosy spoonful of garnish on top was a mystery. I sipped and chewed, thinking perhaps it was raw cranberry. Whatever it was, it was tart and delicious. Later during her talk she identified it as a grated raw beet salad, sweet and sour at the same time, traditionally stirred into the cantaloupe and silky olive oil puree. Since that night, I'd been longing to make it and finally made it today.
It's a very easy recipe, and perfect for warm weather - whether a light supper or cocktail party appetizers - or, come to think of it, a picnic lunch on the beach.
La Soupe de Melon avec une salade de Betteraves Crues
This makes 4 servings.
1 medium beet, peeled
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided in half
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 t. kosher salt
Coarsely grate the beet on a box grater set in a large bowl.
In another small bowl, whisk the 2 tablespoons olive oil, the vinegar, and the salt. Pour over the beets and toss, then set aside.
4 cups peeled fresh cantaloupe, sliced or cut into chunks
1 cup water
4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Place the cantaloupe, water, sugar, salt, and olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth. The olive oil adds a silkiness to the fruit puree that makes it far more interesting than a smoothie.
Pour the soup into 4 glasses or bowls, topping with a tablespoon of the beet relish. I served the rest of the beets in a small bowl for second helpings.
Enjoy the last of your August days! The sound of the crickets has changed, the goldenrod is blooming brightly, and I saw the first pale turnings of leaves on a very tall maple today. Too soon!
