The Occasion: When your favorite TV show returns from hiatus and you CANNOT WAIT to see what the hell kind of crazy they’re going to bring this time. And above all WWCW – What Will Cookie Wear?

Empire is back on Wednesday night. Here’s a taste featuring my girls Porsha and Becky:

I know I’m going to want a snack during this nutty show, and these simple yet craveable Sweet Potato Chips are just the ticket. Pretty easy to make – yes, in the microwave! – and deliciously satisfying. Some say that salt is optional but I say it’s a must. Still pretty healthy compared to regular chips. I mashed up a few different recipes/techniques to arrive at my version below, but the inspiration for this evening's snack comes from the By Stephanie Lynn blog - thanks!

Basically you slice a sweet potato very thinly (I used a mandoline), place the slices on parchment paper, zap 'em with a little cooking spray, salt and pepper, and then cook in the microwave for a few minutes. It's not at all difficult but takes a little time, mostly because you'll want to make several batches. As they say, you can't eat just one!

No-Fry Sweet Potato Chips
Recipe adapted from a post on By Stephanie Lynn blog
 
INGREDIENTS:

• Sweet potatoes – as many as you want; I used 2
• Unflavored cooking spray such as PAM or olive oil spray
• Salt and pepper (I recommend using a good quality flaky sea salt)
• Optional: Dried herbs or spices, such as thyme, rosemary, cumin

 
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT:

• Mandoline or VERY sharp knife
• Parchment paper
• Microwave

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Scrub the sweet potatoes well and slice off any bad spots. Or you can peel the potato entirely if you prefer.
• Thinly slice the potatoes – less than 1/8-inch thick. A mandoline is the ideal tool for this job, but if using a knife be sure that your slices are of consistent thickness to ensure even cooking.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the turntable inside your microwave. Spray one side very lightly with cooking spray. Place potato slices on the sprayed side of the paper – not overlapping each other. Spray the slices very lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you'd like to add additional herbs and/or spices, now is the time.
• Carefully transfer the parchment paper with potato slices into the microwave and onto the turntable.

NOTE: I tried taking the turntable in and out of the microwave but it didn’t work as well as transferring the loaded parchment paper.  

• Cook the sweet potato slices in the microwave at Power Level 8 for 3 minutes. Check the chips for doneness (they will turn color and be nearly-but-not-all-the-way crisp). Continue cooking the chips at 20 second intervals on Power Level 8. Total cooking time will probably be no more than 4 minutes.
• Remove chips to a rack for cooling and continued crisping.
• Repeat the process with the remaining raw potato slices. You can re-use the same parchment round several times.  

If your experience is anything like mine, the first batch of chips will be a disaster but you’ll quickly get the hang of it after that. 

The sweet potato chips are best on the day they’re made. Storing extras in a sealed container will cause them to lose crispness although the flavor will still be good.

So now I've got my snack, I've got my adult beverage, the remote is nearby. I'm ready for the show.

Welcome back, Empire!

​Will you be watching? Let's dish about it in the Comments. 

The Occasion: When you want a Can’t-Mess-it-Up meal. This is a fallback recipe in our household, tried and true, sure to please.

In my opinion, pork tenderloin is one of those near-perfect foods that adapts to almost any flavor profile, cooks quickly with minimal fuss, and falls into the healthier/lean protein category. It’s hard to get it wrong, whether it’s grilled, pan-fried or oven-roasted. I chose the latter option, turning it into one of those Sheet-pan Suppers which are so popular these days (for good reason!) by adding chopped fennel, onions, and orange segments next to the pork.
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Tenderloin can be fairly bland if left to its own devices, which is why I like to introduce strong flavors in a marinade, such as the chipotles in adobo, garlic, and bright citrus in this dish. The chipotles bring a wonderful smoky heat which you can dial up or down to suit your own taste buds. (Remove the seeds from the peppers before blending if you prefer a milder sauce.) 
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Keep reading for more of the story, including recipe and photos.

As March draws to a close (out like a lamb?) I’d like to squeeze in a tribute to all the things for which this is the national month.

For example, March is National Celery Month, also flour, peanuts, frozen food and noodles. That’s a lot for one little month to carry!
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I’ve compiled a random set of recipes that feature those items – separately, not together, that would be a righteous hot mess!

Well, not entirely random, each looks mighty tasty and cook-worthy to me. Perhaps to you too? If you try any of them, please report back in the Comments.

• ​Egg-Topped Soba Noodles with Asparagus and Prosciutto – from Epicurious
• Chicken Noodle Soup – from Tyler Florence via Food Network
• Noodle Kugel – from Food52
• Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds and Parmesan – from Bon Appetit
• Braised Celery – from A Girl Defloured
• Mini Chicken and Peanut Kebabs – from the National Peanut Board
• Caramel Peanut-Topped Brownie Cake – from Dorie Greenspan via Annie’s Eats

I’m going to let that last one count for the flour entry as well.

And as for the frozen food? I’m a big fan of frozen veggies for soups or stews, frozen fruits work even better than fresh in certain types of recipes, and frozen puff pastry is an amazingly versatile ingredient to have on hand.

​Thank you, March, for “sponsoring” so many great things! I can’t wait to see what April brings. 

Two of music’s living legends share a birthday this Friday, March 25th:

• Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, née Reginald Dwight turns 69;
• And Lady Aretha, Queen of Soul – well, a lady never tells her age.

I think you’ll find, when you hit Play on this Birthday Dance Break Playlist, that these two divas share more than a birthday. Love of glitz and glamour? Check. Strong talent and a distinctive musical style like no other? Checkarooni. Brings the drama and high emotion? Checkity-check-check! And thank goodness for all of that.

So go on now. Get on up, turn it up, and get down!

The Occasion: Brunch, this dish is perfect for brunch. Easter brunch. Mother’s Day brunch. Sunday brunch. Tuesday brunch. Lunch. Dinner, even. I guess breakfast, why not, but I never.

I always think of quiche as being simultaneously fancy – why? just look at it, so lovely – and simple. It’s really just comfort food, eggs and cheese with a few veggies thrown in for color and flavor. And bonus: easy as pie. (Yes I did.) It looks harder than it is. Especially if you use a store-bought crust as I did. 

As long as we’re talking brunch, let’s do it with a cocktail in our hand. (Gotta love a meal that encourages day drinking.) Mimosas and Bellinis are traditional brunch beverages, and of course there is the ubiquitous Bloody Mary. You can do so many fun variations – different juices, garnishes, and other add-ins.
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Ilise made a fantastic champagne cocktail called the Gin and Honey. The name clues you in on half of the main ingredients; fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and, of course, the bubbly round out the recipe. Cheers!

​Keep reading for the rest of the egg-cellent story, photos, and the recipes.

I am not now and have never been a Star Trek fan. Not a hater either, settle down there Skippy, just never really watched the show. Sure, I’ve seen bits of episodes here and there while flipping through channels, and I get the pop culture references that have extended the show’s legacy – and that of its actors – for decades.

William Shatner will always be Captain James T. Kirk. I’m guessing he might have mixed emotions about that identity overtaking his own. (It‘s OK, he can afford all the therapy sessions he wants.) He’s also been T.J. Hooker, Denny Crane in Boston Legal (loved that show!), and the Priceline guy.

But perhaps my favorite of Bill’s roles is that of oh-so-emotive chanteuse, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say spoken word artiste. He recorded an album in the late 60s titled The Transformed Man which featured such gems as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It’s everything you never knew you wanted, and so much more.
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So hit play, turn it up, and set your phasers to ‘stunning’ cuz that’s the only word for it. Happy Birthday, Bill!

Fish for Dinner is a feature chronicling my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

The Occasion: A quiet dinner for two at home after a couple weeks with one or the other of us away on business travel. I don’t cook when it’s just me, I make food -- PB toast, eggs, salad – so it’s nice to get back to work in the kitchen and prepare a meal to share with my sweetie. This simple recipe for oven poached salmon was just the ticket – easy to execute, quite tasty, and an excellent excuse to open a better-than-usual-for-a-Friday-night bottle of wine with dinner. 

​Keep reading for the recipe, photos, and the verdict.

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

Today would be Wilson Pickett’s 75th birthday. One of the top American R&B/rock/soul singers and songwriters during the 60s and 70s, he was known as a soul shouter. One listen to the playlist below and you'll know why. Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. His personal life was said to be troubled, but the music always sustained him. And he never stopped giving the fans a good reason to dance.

Let’s get right to it then, in honor of Wicked Wilson Pickett. Click here to learn more about the man and his music. 

The Occasion: Sweet treats for a special occasion. Sometimes a party invitation includes a request to bring something share-able. These delectable delights would be perfect! They are unusual enough to stand out among ho-hum offerings on a buffet table yet easy to prepare and even make ahead. Dulce de leche and pretzel bits bring a welcome surprise to traditional thumbprint style cookies.

This recipe comes from the Food Network cookbook titled Sweet. The page is dog-eared because I’ll for sure be making these again. I was thinking maybe for Holiday Open House 2016, but I probably can’t wait that long. Who wants to invite me to a potluck party? I’ll bring the good stuff.

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Salted Caramel-Pretzel Thumbprint Cookies
Recipe source: Sweet by the editors of Food Network Magazine 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups broken thin pretzel sticks
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup dulce de leche or thick caramel sauce
• Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Put ¼ cup pretzels in a resealable plastic bag and crush into coarse crumbs with a rolling pin.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Whisk the egg yolks, honey, vanilla and fine salt in a medium bowl, then add to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour and pretzel crumbs and beat until just combined.
• Put the remaining 1-¼ cups pretzels in the resealable plastic bag and rough crush with the rolling pin; spread on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Drop tablespoonfuls of dough on top of the pretzels and roll into balls, pressing so the pretzels adhere.
• Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325° F.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (or silpats). Arrange the cookies about 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Make a deep indentation in each with your thumb.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Re-indent with the back of a teaspoon, if necessary.
• Let cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
• Fill each indentation with the dulce de leche (a generous half-teaspoon or so) and sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Yield:  About 24 cookies
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All photos: Ann Johnson

The occasion: Entirely hypothetical. I don’t know Fabio and we've never shared a meal. However if we did it might look something like this:

• I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter spread lightly over an organic brown rice cake. Please do yourself a massive favor and watch these awesome commercials starring today's birthday boy.
• Whey Protein Shake from his company, Healthy Planet Nutrition
• One (1) fish oil capsule from Healthy Planet Vitamins, to keep his hair shiny and silky
• Big bowl of berries, the birthday boy's favorite dessert per one of several fan clubs

​Several years ago I saw Fabio in person outside the Chicago Omni Hotel en route to his waiting limousine. He looked like nothing so much as an elegant, purebred afghan hound, with the long, glossy hair flowing well past his shoulders, and his beautiful, angular face. That sounds like an insult, comparing him to a dog, but it’s not meant to be. He was/is beautiful, which accounts for his successful multi-faceted career as a model in fashion as well as for romance novel cover art, soap opera actor, product spokesman for Old Spice and I Can’t Even, and now, at 57, a fitness and nutrition entrepreneur.

And now, just because there’s some wacky s#!@ to be found on the internet, please enjoy this absolutely insane Happy Birthday Fabio video. Hey, you’ve stuck with the post this far, might as well click it. 

Afternoon Dance Breaks - a chance to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 
 
So what exactly is voguing? From Urban Dictionary: 
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To learn more about voguing check here and here for resources.
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Or you can just get up from your chair, turn up the volume, and prepare to re-energize your afternoon with the Voguing Playlist. 11 minutes of non-stop fun with Lydmor and Bon Homme + the Godfather of house music Frankie Knuckles + Icona Pop. Shake that booty, don’t break it!
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I love extending a last-minute invitation for a happy hour glass of wine to friends in the neighborhood. Karen from Hooked on Fish frequently gets the nod on delivery day. If we’re her last stop of the day, we’ll pour the first glass of the evening. It’s just a chat, a sip and a nibble, then off we go on our separate ways.

An understated but perfect moment deserves an equally chill snack – it’s often just a bowl of nuts or olives. But we’ve now discovered this delectable morsel, destined to become the new happy hour nosh at our house. The rustic looking cracker/biscotti/flatbread is not pretty at all, but man oh man, this salty, tangy, flavor-filled mouthful goes perfectly with a dry white wine. Crunchy from being double-baked, aromatic from toasted almonds, bursting with briny goodness from the olives. Perfect!

Salted Olive Crisps
Recipe source: My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories, by David Lebovitz

INGREDIENTS:
 

• ½ cup (70g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (70g) whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• ½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup (45g) almonds, very coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup (60g) oil cured olives, pits removed, packed and coarsely chopped (about 20 olives)

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9” loaf pan with non-stick spray, or oil it lightly. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, herbes de Provence, salt, baking soda, and pepper.
• Stir in the buttermilk, mix in the olives and nuts. Pour into the baking pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes, until it feels set in the center. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Run a knife around the edges to loosen it, remove from the pan and set on a wire rack to cool.
• Decrease the oven temperature to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Holding the outside edges of the loaf firmly, to keep the edges from crumbling, slice the loaf as thinly as possible, aiming for ¼” thick slices. Lay the slices on the baking sheets.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping the slices after 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them during the last few minutes of cooking, you want them to be a deep golden brown, so they’ll crisp up when cooled.
• Cook’s Note: It took much longer for my slices to become crisp enough and golden-brown enough. I probably cut the slices too thick. Stick with it and allow the extra time if needed, but keep a close eye on the baking sheets to avoid burning.
• Remove from oven and cool completely on wire racks.
• Serve plain or with soft cheeses or spreads.
• The crisps can be stored for up to 1 week in an airtight container, although they will lose some of their crispness. 

Fish for Dinner is a feature chronicling my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

The Occasion: A reunion dinner with a dear friend from far away, making a brief and welcome visit. We planned the menu to be special but not fancy, delicious and carefree enough to allow for lots of lively conversation before, during and after dinner at the kitchen table. 

Steelhead trout is one of my new fave fishes. More like a salmon than a lake trout in appearance and flavor, it is ideal for easy cooking treatments like oven baking. We prepared this fish once before with great success – Steelhead Baked with Maple Glaze. This evening’s preparation was also a winner.

How We Prepared It:

• Baked Steelhead Trout with Lemon and Dill - Recipe from Olga’s Flavor Factory
• Asparagus & Peas with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette - Recipe here
• New Potatoes with Chives 

​Keep reading for the recipe, photos, music, and the verdict.

A recent post referenced an ancient Roman gourmand who noted that we eat first with the eyes, and that was the case when I selected this recipe to try.

Although I do most of my recipe-browsing online (love you, Smitten Kitchen!) I’m old school enough that I enjoy flipping through food focused print magazines too. To me, the photos pop and captivate in a much richer way, at least the good ones do. Flipping through the March issue of Cooking Light, the beautiful picture on page 115 stopped me dead in my tracks. The medley of bright green vegetables – peas, asparagus and sugar snap peas – screamed, “Springtime is coming!” while the warm, bacon-y dressing whispered seductively, “But winter’s still here, so enjoy some more comfort food.”

The photo made a compelling case so we tested the recipe not long ago. We served it alongside a main course, but this dish could easily be the main event all by itself. 

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​Keep reading for the recipe, more photos, and the verdict. 

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, co-founder of the influential rock group the Velvet Underground, and legendary solo artist Lou Reed was born on this day, March 2. He would have been 74.  

Lou always appeared to be a surly SOB and the gossip seem to back that up. Often cited as the “godfather of punk,” he brought a downtown swagger and snarling embrace of ugly and untouchable topics to his music that was shocking and addictive. No one else was singing about NYC’s gritty/dirty/druggy/ dangerous/exhilarating street life in the 60s/early 70s. Ol’ Lou knew some fascinating people and had some tales to tell. I, for one, am all ears.
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This week I’ll be out of town for my (non-blogging) job as a conference education planner. I'm confident that the months of hard work will pay off and the event will go well. But any onsite experience requires very long days of always being ON – not to mention on your feet – hustling all over the conference center, putting out fires right and left. It’s exciting to see an event come together and there’s an undeniable adrenaline rush that comes with a job well done.

But for me, the glue that holds it all together – and by it I mean me – is caffeine. Coffee, diet Coke, another coffee. Yes, yes and yes please. And that’s just before noon.

This means that I will be going into Caffeine Awareness Month with entirely the wrong mindset. The group behind the month seeks to bring awareness to the issue of caffeine addiction and suggest alternatives to that sweet, sweet jolt of joe. 

This is indeed a real concern, and goodness knows I need to cut back on my caffeine consumption. But not this week. Not during an onsite.

The only Caffeine Awareness I’m after right now is where to find my next fix.
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Follow the link if you’d like to learn more about Caffeine Awareness Month.