Gosh, I'm sorry I haven't written here in so long! I've been really, really busy.
But I do have two new recipes up at wondertime--one for corn chowder and one for a puffy oven pancake. They're both here.
There's something a little funky going on at family.com, where you can only see the two most recent recipes. But the whole archive is still up at wondertime, here.
Check in this week if you can--about what recipes you've tried, what's working, what you'd like to see more of. (First I wrote "more or less of," but then I worried that I was really courting your irritation with, say, photos of my kids in their pajamas or my various exhortations about salt.) And post over at wondertime if you're able. I'm always grateful for that.
I hope you're all settling happily into what feels like the "real" winter to me--that stretch after the holidays when it is all about the snow and the ice and the bright blue sky. Soon we'll smash our gingerbread houses with a hammer: a ritual that marks the official end of something here. (Our sanity, maybe?)
xo Catherine
I absolutely LOVED your latest Wondertime article on the birds and the bees. Laughed out loud several times. My son asked, "What are you reading Mum, is it Ben & Birdy again?" So, so funny ... I sent the link along to all the moms I know.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to try the Baked Pancake. I would love to see some yummy soup recipes in the cold weeks to come. Maybe something spicy.
For some reason the photos with the corn chowder recipe don't appear. Don't know if it's just me. Please tell me the kids are in pjs.
ReplyDeleteI would love to get my kids hooked on soups and this sounds like a good one to start.
Will try the baked pancake. Again, any recipe with only 4 ingredients (all of which I have in the house) is always a winner with me!
Do you have a good, easy pizza base recipe (sauce would be fine too...;)
ReplyDeletebut really its all good. Especially the PJ's
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteI have made the cranberry upside- down cake twice now. At the time I had no idea what it meant to zest an orange but it sounded fancy! I substituted a teaspoon of orange juice instead.
The Egg Noodles with Ham and Peas was my favorite recipe so far. My one and a half year old son gobbled it up without having to drown it in applesauce beforehand, (a very high compliment indeed). I had since purchased a new fangled citrus zester so this time I was prepared.
The gingerbread was delicious. I made it right before our guests arrived on Christmas Eve and served it with hot cocoa as a pre dinner treat.
This weekend I will attempt to make a baked pancake.. I imagine it will good with some strawberries the middle.
There was only one recipe that might have gone over my head a little bit. Mind you I previously didn’t know how to zest a lemon but the vanilla extract didn’t excite me. Or perhaps I was just too full from the mouth watering salted caramel popcorn and didn’t give it a fair thought.
Oh and I also would like to see some soup recipes but realized I didn't say as much in my previous ramblings.. I'll try to get it together make it short and sweet at Wondertime.
ReplyDeleteI am loving your recipe column. So far I've made four things, which is a record for me--you are apparently the same kind of cook I am (it has to be easy, healthy, and cheap, and if it can be made with ingredients scrounged from the back of the freezer/ can library, that's a bonus).
ReplyDelete#1 - Veggies and dip. Big hit. Well, okay, I was the only one who ate the brussel sprouts and fennel (more for me, suckas). But the rest went quick.
#2 - Dinner beans. Made this without the smokiness (see above: cabinet scrounging). I think the kale made have done it in, kidwise (was there weeping at the table? there might have been), but the grownups loved it.
#3 - Gingerbread cake. What's not to love? Nothing. Nothing is not to love.
#4 - Corn chowder. Would have been hit-ier if I'd used bacon and cream (scrounging, etc.), and some kidnesses inquired tearily about the "spices" (thyme?), but everyone ATE the soup.
Yum. I print these out as I use them, so that I don't get chowder splashes on the laptop, so pretty soon I'm going to have myself a book. Of recipes I actually use. And I love your chatty tone (obviously, since I've been reading your column for 100 million years).
I'll try to get myself over there and comment there, too.
My daughter actually used the words "I love it!" in reference to your carrot salad. High, high praise.
ReplyDeleteI think you've been doing a great variety of baked goods, main dishes, breakfast, gifts, etc. Maybe some lunch suggestions? I'm always on the lookout for new lunchbox items.
2000 pieces eh? well, you have more patience than I. And regarding the winter, just remember what my father in law says...The days are getting longer ya'know! (yeah, by like a minute!)
ReplyDeletebut at least there is hope, always hope...
shari in nc
Dinner beans: LOVED them. Added Bacon Salt (it's kosher!) in lieu of smoked paprika and they were a hit. Can't wait to try more recipes!
ReplyDeleteOh I love you for that corn chowder, which I had for dinner, and breakfast, because it was that tasty. And that granola recipe (minus the coconut, due to a gag-reflex my husband has honed to trigger at even the word) has become a staple around here. And I soooo wish you were on facebook (okay, my husband calls that wastebook for good reason, but still) so that you could see my boys at their finest as we made ginger bread (picture a log that we stashed in the fridge, sitting on the kitchen table...the conversation goes something like Max (4) "This is my turd shop." and then Noah (9) going into great detail about texture and taste, all the while Max is chanting "It's poop! It's weally poop!"
ReplyDeleteUm, I guess it is a lot funnier to watch then to simply recant here. Sorry 'bout that;)....
Anyway, I would love some more soup recipes, as I get into a must-have-soup mode several times a week (part of enjoying a real winter, I think). I would also love some bread recipes-- I just bought the King Arthur whole grains cook book, but I'm feeling a might overwhelmed by it. Something simple that I could cut for grilled sammys perhaps? Oh, and anything with chocolate would be great. I mean GREAT.
I'll try and repeat some of this on that darn wondertime site, but it is like cracking code to sign in there....
I obviously had not finished reading Wondertime cover to cover, as I discovered tonight your fabulous collection of scrumptious soups towards the back of the magazine. Can't wait to try them all. Yum!
ReplyDeleteLove the recipes, but I am too frazzled and disorganized to try most of them yet. But I'm working on it.
ReplyDeleteI am, however, organized enough to love your Birds & Bees article in Wondertime, and was so rewarded with a big laugh out loud at the end with the Sears joke about Michael! Thank you for such a comfortable, honest discussion of what lies ahead for us!
The corn chowder was great, it was the first time I've made a chowder and now I'm hooked.
ReplyDeleteAlways looking for SOMETHING easy/yummy/imaginative to do with boneless chicken breasts... (I know they are the most processed and generic and boring animal protein source, but still...)
ReplyDeleteWe already a)stir fry with whatever vegggies are on hand and soy/sesame, b) poach and put into black bean/corn/burritos c)dredge in bread crumbs and cook in olive oil/butter - with lemony sauce over and d) add to cooked chunks to penne with broccoli and pesto.
What else IS there to do with the suckers??
I cannot believe more people haven't commented on your miraculous pancake! I have made it twice in my treasured cast iron pan since reading your Wondertime post yesterday and am wierdly and totally fascinated with the history of it... yours was a bit vague so I had to Google it. I think some of the other recipes call for 1 TSP sugar and no salt -but whatever. It's delicious and so simple to make - wish I'd always know about these.
ReplyDeleteSome seafood recipes would be nice - shrimp and/or fish.
ReplyDeleteI have made the pot roast at least six times since you posted it - I tweaked it a little (beef broth instead of chicken, adding a little honey when carmelizing the onions). The last few times I also made it the day before, refrigerated it and reheated the next day. This is the best! BTW I think it's tastiest and much less fatty with brisket.
Also made the gingerbread for a fundraiser at work and sold every last piece.
I've made baked pancake before but your recipe is less complicated than the one I have, so I'm looking forward to trying that this weekend! A poster over at Wondertime mentions layering apples & brown sugar on the bottom before pouring over the batter - this is how I've made it before and it's yum!
My daughter and I made the vanilla for Christmas gifts, and I finally wrote about it on my blog. :-) It was a blast, and even though my daughter is only 4.5 years old she was able to do the bulk of the work with only a little help! Thanks for that recipe, and all the others.
ReplyDeleteMake your own vanilla extract
Loved the gingerbread, looking forward to the baked pancake, also I'm going to try the Soy-Glazed Tofu this weekend! I've recently become vegetarian, so looking forward to trying this. Very yummy recipes, I always enjoy reading them even if I don't always make them! Kind of food porn, if you will. Wait...that sounded a little creepy. Sorry about that. Anyway, love the column. Oh yes, and I'm also looking forward to trying the corn chowder! Must get busy.
ReplyDeleteNicole
I just made the pot roast this week-- I was bummed that the pictures were missing-- needed to see how golden the onions should be. Anyway, the gravy really was perfectly salty, sweet, and tangy! Yum. I'm going to try the gingerbread this weekend, I think, with the kids...
ReplyDelete2000 piece puzzle? You guys are over-achievers. My husband, kids and I barely made it through a 1000piece puzzle during our recent week long monsoon-drenched Hawaiian vacation!
ReplyDeleteOh Yes, the Wondrous Baked Pancake! So quick, so easy, so perfect, and the directions - so clear! And such a crowd-pleaser, from 7-yr old to 89-yr old! And also astounding is that I'm commenting not on matters of the heart, but on a recipe. Well, thank you. It was a lovely breakfast meal this morning, and the powdered sugar plus lemon were so worth it.
ReplyDeleteI will attempt (again) to leave this comment at Wondertime if it's good for your "business." Just let me know.
I just made the pancake recipe and everyone around the table was like, "MMMMMmmmmmSoGOOOD!"
ReplyDeleteSo, it is gone. And what an awesome recipe. Thank you!
tomorrow's the big day!!! I can hardly stand the wait. And yes, your pancake was a big sucess, as well as the corn chowder, gingerbread, pot roast, and cake. My son announced "this is great" to the corn chowder. (not so with the husband - seems he's not too fond of corn, or beans for that matter) I have been unlucky again at trying to log in. waiting again for the mysterious email. will keep trying though! Shari
ReplyDeleteI too loved the Dinner Beans. I've been trying to use your blog to convince my son to not only prepare these recipes with me, but to actually TRY them with me. What happens when these kids get older? when he was younger, say, 3 and 4, he would gobble up bean patties, etc. Now, not so much. The pancake, though, will be a hit, I'm sure. We also just made the Sugar on Snow. What a hit! And thank you, Catherine: I've been wanting to try this for years and years. Your recipe was so easy! Can't wait to try the pasta with ham and peas.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to leave a comment over at Wondertime...but the registration process was too much of an ordeal...
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to make an apple version of the oven pancake (apple phankuken or something) when I was a kid and I always loved its buttery goodness...but when I tried to make if for my kids, at least one of them cried. Not exactly what you want to hear after getting up early to chop apples on a Sunday morning.
Oh and I made the popovers from last month's Wondertime last night. So good and EASY...I wonder why they are so special at the Jordan Pond House? Anyway, my only problem was I used muffin cups because the nonstick stuff is peeling off our nonstick muffin pans, and all the butter leaked through the muffin cups and the popovers became one with the paper. Next time I'll try ramekins.
How about a Kenyan-Kansan peanut stew of some kind?
ReplyDeleteHappy Inauguration day!!!
ReplyDeletewas that not beautiful yesterday?!
ReplyDeleteI know this column is forever old, but we just made the baked pancake last night (for dinner! with scrambled eggs!). It was fantastically, wonderfully good. Only, it was teeny tiny, so that along with our scrambled eggs and baked pancake, I had people eating leftover fettuccine and veggie pizza.
ReplyDeleteSoooo... can you double the recipe? My pan can certainly hold it, but I wasn't sure if I would have an oven meltdown come "puff" stage. Or can I cook two at once, in separate pans? That's sort of dicey since I only have one nice heavy cast iron skillet, so the other would be a regular glass pan. I'm sure it wouldn't do the cool butter-sizzle thing or make such a nice tasty edge, but at least we'd all get to eat. So, what do you think?
Thank you! We love your recipes around here.
Charlotte
(...wondering if this could somehow be made in a dutch oven while camping? No?)