The Occasion: The perfect easy side dish for a weeknight dinner when the same ol’ rice and potatoes just won’t do.

Why This Recipe: Because it comes from Ina Garten, one of my favorite TV chefs and cookbook author. Love her! Such a happy hostess with an easygoing yet sophisticated style. Her catchphrase -- “How bad can that be?” – says it all. And there’s nothing bad about this quick and easy side dish. Just a little prep work on your part and then the couscous cooks itself. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Couscous with Peas, Mint, and Toasted Pine Nuts
Recipe source:  Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1 ¾ cups chicken stock
• 1 cup couscous
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 ounces frozen peas, defrosted
• 1/4 cup julienned fresh mint leaves (a good handful), loosely packed
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook over medium-low heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the stock and bring to a boil.
• Stir in the couscous, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and put the lid on. Turn off the heat and allow the couscous to steam for 10 minutes.
• With a fork, fluff the couscous and stir in the peas, mint, and pine nuts.
• Season to taste. Depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock, you can add ½ more teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
• Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings

Warning: This post represents stream-of-consciousness rambling and oddball connections from within the depths of my brain. Proceed at your own risk.

As a onetime theatre professional and a longtime lover of the creative arts, I am prone to flights of fancy in which I look for below-the-radar connections between diverse things.

We all do this to some extent. Look at a fluffy cloud in the sky and see a wooly mammoth or an ice cream cone. Listen to a piece of orchestral music and picture a waterfall or fawns in the forest. View an angsty painting by Edvard Munch and hear the music of My Chemical Romance blasting in your inner ear. 

Well, when I look at these perfectly kitsch mid-century appetizer plates featuring soulful (demonic?) big-eyed kitties my mind goes to the AWESOME 1960s cult classic film Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill directed by B-movie auteur Russ Meyer. According to Wikipedia, “Meyer is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women.”

​Mr. Meyer died in 2004 and we did not know each other, but I think he would have enjoyed eating his critics’ lunch from these feline-festooned appetizer plates after finally earning recognition and kudos from filmmaking’s Big Dogs including Quentin Tarantino who has named Meyer as a major influence.

Here now, for your camp-loving enjoyment, is the trailer for Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill.

And P.S. if you're interested in the plates check them out at Entertaining Vintage.

Yes or No: Leftovers are the best part of the Thanksgiving meal. If you vote Yes, as I do, then you will want to keep this recipe handy for later in the week. It calls for chicken but turkey will do just as well.
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While it’s just as satisfying and comforting as a traditional chicken tortilla soup, this version is a bit lighter than most and won’t weigh you down as you embark on the traditional post-Thanksgiving activities: power-shopping and football (watching or playing, either way). 

The Verdict: Really good. Worth making even if you’re not trying to use up leftovers. I wish I had some now as a matter of fact. Be sure to use all the add-ins/garnishes: chopped avocado, crumbled tortillas, fresh herbs, and lime wedges. Yum!

Pro tip: Save the Thanksgiving turkey carcass in your freezer to make soup stock one cold wintry day. You’ll be thankful all over again!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Chicken Poblano Tortilla Soup
Recipe source: Cooking Light

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
• 4 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can unsalted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 ounces tortilla chips, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Note: We have a cilantro hater in the house and substituted Mexican oregano and parsley for the cilantro. Still delicious!

• 6 ounces shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 6 ounces shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken thigh

Note: Use home-cooked chicken or turkey if you prefer

• 1 avocado, diced
• 6 lime wedges
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.
• Add onion, carrot, and poblano; sauté 8 minutes.
• Add stock, salt, black pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a boil over high heat.
• Finely crush half of tortilla chips; add to stock mixture. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until carrot is tender, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in cilantro and chicken.
• Ladle about 1 1/3 cups soup into each of 6 bowls.
• Divide avocado among bowls.
• Coarsely crush remaining tortilla chips and divide among bowls; serve with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, if desired.

The Occasion: Serving whole fish looks pretty impressive – like the seafood version of a crown roast with foofy little paper frills on the bones, do you know what I mean? With a little practice it’s not that difficult, but I recommend you save this nice presentation for a dinner party or special meal.

The Subtext: I’ve made this dish before but did such a poor job filleting the cooked fish that I didn’t want to show you the photos. They say the second time’s the charm, and practice does make perfect, so now I’m ready to share so you may learn from my experience.

Why This Recipe: Most recipes I’ve found for cooking whole fish are essentially the same. Clean it, season it, stuff it with herbs, lemon and whatever. Roast, fillet, and serve. The specific stuffing ingredients are adaptable to suit your taste and what’s available in the fridge. 

The Verdict: I love the simplicity and flexibility of this treatment for fish. Don’t have any fresh oregano? Fine, use extra parsley then. No fresh garlic? Tuck some onion slices in the cavity instead. Easy. Deboning and filleting the fish still makes me a bit nervous, but Hooked on Fish shared a really good how-to video link from TheOfficialHungry that helps a lot. Check it out. Whole roast fish is delicious, impressive, and worth your while!

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Whole Roasted Fish with Oregano, Parsley, and Lemon
Recipe source: Daniel Gritzer at Serious Eats
 
INGREDIENTS:

• Water
• Kosher salt
• 2 (2-pound) whole white-fleshed fish, such as sea bass, yellow snapper, branzino, or porgy, scaled and gutted
• Lemon slices, peeled garlic cloves, peeled ginger slices, fresh oregano sprigs, fresh parsley sprigs, for stuffing
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing and drizzling

DIRECTIONS:

• Fill a large bowl about halfway with room-temperature water and add enough salt to taste, stirring to dissolve the salt. Add fish and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain fish and pat dry inside and out with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 350°F and position rack in center of oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Season fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff belly cavities with lemon slices, garlic cloves, ginger, and herb sprigs.
• Roast fish until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 135°F, about 20-25 minutes depending on dimensions of fish; alternatively, roast until fins come right off when pulled and flesh can be felt to flake under the skin when you press on it. Let rest 5 minutes.
• Gently remove fillets from bone cage, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

The Occasion: Thanksgiving dinner or any fall/winter special occasion meal. Hello, dessert buffet!

The Subtext: Each December Ilise and I host a BIG holiday open house with lots of homemade treats. Recipe testing begins well in advance. Spoiler alert: If you’re on the list you’ll be seeing this again soon. 

Why This Works: Because it’s tradition with a twist. Especially as we head into the winter holiday season the traditions of family, food and celebration become even more important. Aunt Mary’s green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. Cousin Kesha’s mac ‘n cheese for Sunday night dinner. Uncle Allen’s potato latkes for Hanukkah. And Grammy’s (in)famous lime Jell-O salad for Christmas plus all the other special occasion meals ever. 

Well, I hate to say it (sorry not sorry) but sometimes I like to shake things up a bit. Just a little. So for example, these Sweet Potato Pie Bars. In the traditional pie format, sweet potato and pumpkin are classic flavors.

​But what if you zazz it up a bit with a graham crust and toasted marshmallow topping and cut it into smaller portions? That means you can have a luscious morsel of this AND a dessert to be named later. Oh yeah, now we’re definitely Winning! 

The Verdict: This is not fast and it’s not especially easy either, including as it does marshmallow-making and playing with the brûlée torch. That said, if you’re ready to meet the challenge you will be rewarded. It tastes great and makes a nice change-up from the traditional desserts without straying too far afield. 

We came up with two variations: The one pictured with the homemade marshmallow topping is perfect for a family meal or dinner party where the bars can be kept refrigerated until serving time. But using store-bought mini-marshmallows is better suited for a potluck or dessert buffet where the bars may be sitting out for a while at room temperature.

This dessert has excellent flavor from the sweet potato filling and man oh man, that thick graham cracker crust is to die for! And as for the topping, well who doesn’t like s’mores? It’s kinda like that and it’s likely to become your new fave crave.

Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Sweet Potato Pie Bars
Recipe source: Handle The Heat food blog
 
INGREDIENTS:

Crust:

• 18 full graham crackers
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 cups (16 ounces) sweet potato puree – homemade or store-bought
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon bourbon (or 1 teaspoon vanilla)
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Topping:

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

For the crust:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with foil.
• Place the graham crackers, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture is moistened.
• Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Keep oven at 350°F.

For the filling:

• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat all the sweet potato filling ingredients until well combined.
• Pour over the graham cracker crust and bake for 40 minutes, or until set but still slightly wiggly in the middle.
• Let cool to room temperature.

For the marshmallow topping:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook until a candy thermometer registers exactly 240°F. Immediately remove from heat.
• Turn the mixer on low speed and carefully and gradually drizzle the syrup into the egg whites. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy and looks like marshmallow fluff, about 7 minutes longer. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
• Spread the marshmallow topping evenly over the sweet potato layer.
• Use a kitchen torch to gently torch the marshmallow layer until lightly golden. Alternatively, place the pan under the broiler and broil for 1 minute, or until lightly golden. Pay close attention and don’t step away – this can turn quickly from toasted to burned if you’re not careful!
• Refrigerate the pan for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares and serving. The squares can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, though they are best served soon after the marshmallow is made.

The Occasion: Weeknight dinner – short on time, long on flavor

The Subtext: We’re cleaning out the freezer in anticipation of the holiday cook/bake-and-freeze season, using up some forgotten frozen items. Pork tenderloin, you’re up!

Why This Recipe: Comfort food with a healthier twist. Familiar flavors and a few surprises too. If you do the prep work the night before (marinate the pork up to 24 hours and chop the cabbage) this beautiful all-in-one dinner can be on the table in about 30 minutes after a long day at work.

The Verdict: Really, really good! Pork tenderloin is one of my fave ingredients anyway – so versatile and adaptable to different flavor profiles depending on the spices and ingredients it’s paired with. I like to always keep one in the freezer – quick to thaw and quick to cook.

In this particular case, the meat gets nice and tender thanks to a lengthy soak in the marinade. I used beer in the marinade (along with soy sauce, brown sugar, and more) but you can substitute another liquid if you prefer – apple juice, orange juice, cold coffee, or broth would all work well. We grilled the tenderloin. Alternatively it may be seared on the stovetop and then finished in the oven.
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I don’t often cook cabbage at home but the addition of chopped apples has me rethinking my ways. Those little pops of sweetness add so much to the dish. I’m a big fan! To save even more time, don’t bother peeling the apples first. 

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Red Cabbage and Apples
Recipe is a mash-up of two others from Bon Appetit and Cabot Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 pork tenderloins

For the marinade:

• 1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer (light to medium bodied) – you can substitute 12 ounces of another liquid such as apple juice or coffee
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the cabbage:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ medium red cabbage, cored, cut into ½-inch strips
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (Note: peeling is optional IMO)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup water
• Salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

• Prep the pork tenderloin(s) by trimming any silverskin, if necessary. (Silverskin is the sinewy white-silver connective tissue found attached to certain cuts of meat. This does not dissolve during cooking and must be removed in advance for the meat to become tender.)
• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add pork to the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning/stirring the mixture a few times during the marinating process. There are a few ways to do this:
• A) Marinate the pork in the bowl you’ve mixed the marinade in; just be sure it’s deep/wide enough so that the pork is covered with liquid
• B) Transfer the meat and marinade to a long, shallow pan ensuring that the pork is covered with liquid
• C) Transfer the whole shebang to large plastic gallon bags (1 bag per tenderloin if you are cooking multiples). Squeeze out the air, seal the bags, and refrigerate.
• About 20 minutes before you’re ready to cook the meat, take the pork out of the fridge so it can lose the chill before cooking. Remove meat from the marinade, pat dry, and set aside.

Note: Some recipes suggest cooking down the leftover marinade to make a sauce. I’ve never had this turn out well but you can give it a try. Pour the mix into a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a near-boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until it thickens into a sauce-like consistency and reduces by about one third (about 8 minutes).

If cooking on a grill:

• Preheat grill with two zones: one side should be hot for searing the meat, and the other side should be low or no heat for indirect cooking.
• Sear the tenderloin(s) over direct heat until browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes.
• Move the tenderloins to the indirect side of the grill and cook with the grill lid closed until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork reads 140° - about 10-15 minutes.

If cooking in the oven:

• Preheat the oven to 400° F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add pork tenderloin(s) and sear until browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork reads 140° - about 10-15 minutes.

• No matter how you cook it, it is important to let the pork rest undisturbed for 10 minutes before slicing.  
• Meanwhile melt butter in another large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage, apple, bay leaves, 1 cup of water, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is wilted – about 15-20 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar and stir to combine.
• Slice pork and serve with the cabbage/apple mixture and optional sauce. I found the meat to be juicy and flavorful even without the sauce, so suit yourself. 

Today is National Candy Day and I'm excited to share a recipe that may have missed you the first time around. Bourbon caramels. I'll say that again: Homemade. Bourbon. Caramels. Take a seat and clear your schedule. Candy-making can be a time-consuming endeavor requiring precision, attention to detail, and a quest for perfection. Dear Ilise embarked on that quest a couple years ago, going through several rounds of trial and error before ending up with the perfect version of this AWESOME confection. 

Read the full post here, complete with recipe and tons of photos. Even if you don't plan to make the Awesome. Bourbon. Caramels. it is still kind of fun to view the candy-making in process. 

Last week I broke the news that the Etsy stork brought a new little sibling to Entertain the Possibilities - her name is Entertaining Vintage, and we think she's beautiful. From time to time I'll offer a post that combines all of the usual ETP interests - eating, drinking, and making merry - with EV's focus on vintage treasures. Here we go!

Hold on to your (gl)ass everyone, in this post we’re attempting to bring together a whole bunch of divergent interests. Let’s see how cohesive I can make it, shall we? Let’s begin.
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First: Pretty collectibles. Peep that photo again. This group of decorative antique art glass objects in the Bohemian/Czech style which features rich glass colors, loads of gold gilding, and hand painted floral scenes with the signature thick brush strokes shows different applications of this distinctive design style. (Please take a closer look at these items at Entertaining Vintage.)

Finally: Food. Bohemians and Czechs are known for their pastries and desserts including a long list of Christmas-time specialty cookies known as vanocni cukrovi (vah-NAWTCH-nee koo-KRAW-vee). Here are a few recipes that look especially good to us:

• Czech Bear Paws or medvedi tlapicky – cocoa-spice cookies dipped in melted chocolate with almond slivers for ‘claws’
• Vanilla Crescents or vanilkove rohlicky – the tasty quarter-moon cookies are sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar to emulate new-fallen snow
• Czech Jam Thumbprints or dulkove kolacky – similar to jam-filled cookies the world over but with a special Eastern European flair

Hopefully we have piqued your interest in several different directions at once. Use the links below if you’d like to learn more about:

• Eastern European food
• Freddie Mercury and Queen’s tour de force Bohemian Rhapsody
• Bohemian/Czech art glass and collectibles
• The specific blue and amber glass treasures displayed in the lead photo

The Occasion: Weeknight dinner for 3. Celebrating the perfect autumn day outdoors – crisp, clear, chilly enough to require a sweater, but let’s not get carried away, we’ve still got a busy evening ahead.

The Subtext: I adore the idea of cooking food with apple cider. Sweet things, sure I do love me a nice apple cider doughnut. Adult beverage, okay – heat up a cup, add a swig of whisky, it’s good for what ails you. But savory main courses made with apple cider? That sounds amazing! Pork and chicken are natural candidates for this treatment. 

Why This Recipe Worked: You only have to plan ahead enough to marinate the chicken at least 4 hours and up to overnight. I did it in the morning before work and popped it into the oven about 8 hours later. Couldn’t be easier. With your protein and vegetables all in one roasting pan, you really don’t need anything else but I ​had a green salad in the fridge which made a perfect accompaniment. My thanks to Gimme Some Oven blog, where I found the recipe. Bonus: Yummy leftovers the next day. 

Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

The Verdict: Dinner was perfectly fine – all ingredients paired well together, and I called dibs on the caramelized bits gathered in the corners of the roasting pan. But a dish that advertises “Apple Cider” in the title needs way more apple flavor than this delivered. Good news: this should be an easy fix.

Kitchen Tip: Pricking the chicken all over with a fork before adding it to the marinade helps the apple cider flavor work its way into the chicken better and faster.

Simplest upgrade: Add more sliced apples to the roasting pan. Recipe calls for 2, make it at least 4.

Slightly more time-consuming upgrade, still easy though: Cook the apple cider (and cool it) before using it to marinate the chicken. So for this recipe, which calls for 2 cups of apple cider in the marinade, I would start with 3 or 4 cups of cider in a pan on the stove, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the cider has reduced to about 2 cups. The flavor will be more intense than if you just poured 2 cups right out of the jug. Be sure to cool your reduction completely before continuing to mix the marinade and add the chicken parts.

I love how easy this dish is and the flexibility to tweak it for maximum flavor and/or personal preferences – will definitely make this again! RECOMMEND 

Apple Cider Baked Chicken
Recipe source: Gimme Some Oven originally from U.S. Apple Association
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into eighths
• 1 large lemon, sliced into thin rounds
• 2 cups apple cider, homemade or store-bought *
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6-8 chicken legs or thighs
• 2 -4 large apples, each sliced into eighths
• 1 lb. small, red or Yukon Gold potatoes, halved

DIRECTIONS:

• Place a gallon size heavy-duty zip-top bag into a large bowl. Place the onion and next 10 ingredients into the zip-top bag, combining well. Add the chicken to the marinade. Close the bag, place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Arrange the chicken pieces in a large roasting pan skin-side up. Pour all of the marinade, including onions and lemons over and around the pieces.
• Tuck the apples and potatoes around the chicken.
• Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through to re-coat everything with the marinade.
• Arrange chicken and potatoes on a platter and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.

 
 
* For even more intense apple cider flavor, make a reduction. Start with 3-4 cups apple cider in a pan, bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the cider is reduced to 2 cups (which is what the recipe calls for).