SWELL

A what? Yes, a kumquat. I’ve been familiar with this bite-sized fruits since I was eight or so. I suppose growing up on plot of land anchored with citrus and avocado trees will teach a kid a thing or two about fruits and veggies. I remember my first sampling. My dad led my brothers and me to the “upper” grove past the strawberry patch and cucumber garden and stopped us when we reached the tree with “mini oranges”. He gave us each a piece and had us bite into them. I was expecting it to taste quite similar to an orange when in fact I was wrong. So wrong. It had just a bit of sweetness and a whole lot of tartness. I can’t recall if I finished the fruit or threw the rest out, but let’s just say this fruit – raw and uncooked – wasn’t a match for my young and inexperienced taste buds.

I haven’t really thought about kumquats since that point in time (I mean, why would I), so when I stumbled across a container of them I knew I had to give it another go.

I have to say that my more mature taste buds really enjoyed the sweet and sour essence. It almost reminded me of nature’s version of Sour Patch Kids. The skin is sweet and the flesh is tart so if you’re eating these as-is, eat the entire thing so the flavors join together (disclaimer: you might want to forgo the tiny seeds on the inside).

You can also use this fruit in a variety of culinary creations. I’m thinking about creating marmalade, however I saw this recipe for a kumquat margarita and I’m certainly not hating the thought of that, especially since I’ve been missing Mexico a bit. Perhaps one of the most popular things to do with kumquats is include them on salads. This recipe for Hearty Greens with Kumquats from Bon Appetit looks incredible.

Until I figure out what to do with my batch of kumquats, they are going to serve as a colorful centerpiece for my kitchen table. They’re tasty and pretty – what a great combo.

The great thing about going to Cabo is that, well, I’m going to Cabo. In less than a week I’ll be tanning beachside, sipping on salt-rimmed margaritas and savoring every ounce of cheese, tortilla, and drop of hot sauce that enters my body.

The down side about going to Cabo is that I put myself on a diet. A no-carb(ish) diet. With no tortillas or cheese. Which means I’m limited in what I can consume on a daily basis.

I’ve been getting really creative with the types of meals I’ve been preparing, and recently when I found myself with ground turkey to eat for dinner (and nothing else, really) I had to find a way to make it taste good.

Enter my new favorite meatball recipe. There’s no tomato sauce with this recipe. Oh no. I had a mango lying around and knew that turkey and mango would go great together. In fact, it’s a brilliant marriage of poultry and fruit, and with a bit of thyme…these bite-sized treats are great for a low-carb dinner or to serve at a party.

What you’ll need:

For the mango dipping sauce
- 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
- ¼ cup mango juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

 For the meatballs
- 1 package of ground turkey
- 1 egg and 1 egg white
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- ½ cup of minced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Grapeseed oil for cooking

You’ll want to first create the dipping sauce, which is super easy once you peel, pit and dice the mango. Add your diced mango to a food processor or Magic Bullet, along with your mango juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar and cayenne pepper. If you like a bit more spice, up the cayenne to 1 teaspoon. Puree the mixture until there are no chunks remaining. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add in your ground turkey, egg and egg white, thyme, minced yellow onion, salt and pepper. Use your hands to knead the meat mixture together. This part is always a bit hard for me since it feels a bit slimy so if you’re squeamish like me just suck it up, put your hands in the bowl and get going. You’ll get used to it. Promise.

Once the mixture is fully combined, form into one-inch balls. Because there are no breadcrumbs to help keep the form of the uncooked meatballs, these aren’t as firm as you might be used to. That said, the egg is what holds it together so once you get them cooking you’ll be good to go.

Next, set a large skillet on the stove at medium heat and add in your grapeseed oil, which has a nice neutral flavor so the thyme can really stand out. If you don’t have grapeseed oil you can substitute olive oil. When your pan is ready, add in your meatballs and cook on each side for 4-5 minutes. Once they’re cooked through, set aside on a paper-towel covered plate. You’ll probably need to do a couple batches of meatballs.

As you’re finishing your last batch of meatballs, take your mango sauce and warm up in a small sauce pan. After about 5 minutes your sauce will be ready and so will your meatballs. And that means it’s time to eat. So grab your fork, tooth pick, or if you’re like me, your fingers and get snackin’. I’ll bet you can’t eat just one! Enjoy.

Are you a scone or a muffin person? Personally I’ll go for the scone nine out of 10 times. Scones have this realness about them. The batter generally requires less precision and the consistency is a bit chunkier creating a more dense pastry. They also aren’t typically as sweet, which I do enjoy. Surprisingly, I’ve never made scones before but, like everything in life, there are many firsts. And so this past weekend I experienced my first time making scones on a very cheery Sunday. I put on the Melody Gardot Pandora station (thanks, Martha, for the tip!) and with my imagination and the ambient French music I was whisked away to the countryside in the south of France…hey, when I can’t travel I at least need to pretend a bit…

I know blueberries and walnuts are a great pair, and thought they would be brilliant together in a scone. And these were so easy to make! I was able to create six delicious scones in just under and hour, and nibble on one (or two) for my Sunday morning breakfast. Love.

What you’ll need:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar for sprinkling
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 ½ cup of blueberries
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 large eggs, 1 for dough, 1 for egg wash for top of the scone

Heat oven to 375°. Whisk together flour, baking powder, ¼ cup of sugar, brown sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. You can use an electric mixer but I like to use my bicep for a bit of an arm workout. Then add in the cubes of butter, heavy cream and 1 egg. With a wooden spoon (or the paddle attachment of your mixer) mix the dough until it blends together. You do not want to overmix and you want the cubes of butter to not be fully integrated in the batter. You’ll then want to add in the blueberries and walnuts.

On a well-floured counter (I like to use a Silpat to ensure the dough doesn’t stick to the counter space), roll out the dough into a 6-inch diameter. Cut the round into 6 wedges and then arrange the wedges on a baking sheet ensuring they are 3 inches apart. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining egg and add in a pinch of salt with a bit of water. Brush each scone with the egg wash (you don’t want to overdo it) and then top each with a sprinkle of sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the tops are golden. You don’t want to overcook them – dried out scones are no good! If you want to get really crazy you can experiment with other fruit and nut combinations like cranberry and almond or raisins and cashews. You really can’t go wrong.

And p.s. – aren’t these ranunculus lovely? They definitely added to my French-inspired morning.

Put “French” in front of nearly any food and it just screams delicious. French fries. French toast. French vanilla ice cream. Yum, yum and yum.

When I was home over Christmas I was thumbing through my mom’s recipes for inspiration and came across an old family recipe for French dressing. Now, this discovery came at the perfect time as I had just learned from watching Martha Stewart’s Cooking School on PBS how to create homemade dressing and properly emulsify oil and vinegars.

Creating dressings from scratch sounds intimidating but in actuality it’s really not too difficult. In fact, after going through this process I have vowed never to buy packaged dressing again.

This recipe is a great entry-level dressing to create – it’s easy and uses really simple ingredients.

To get started you’ll need:

- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¾ cup vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup chopped onion

The first part is easy. Simply whisk together sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, ketchup and vinegar in a medium bowl. Make sure the sugar completely dissolves into the mixture. Now is when it gets a bit trickier – it’s time to emulsify.  The key to rendering a cohesive emulsification is to add in the oil slowly. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the vinegar mixture little by little and vigorously whisk until the oil and vinegar have combined to form one homogenous substance. This is key because if it’s not combined properly, then your dressing will separate when you store it and you’ll be back at square one.

After you have a lovely mixture, add in your chopped onions. Now I love a strong onion flavor in my dressing, but if you don’t then simply eliminate this step or use just a few pieces of chopped onion.

Next pour the dressing into an airtight container and let it sit for 2-3 days. The flavors will continue to blend together and by day 3 you’ll be ready to pour this sweet and tangy dressing onto your favorite salad.

My grandmother says her favorite way to enjoy this dressing is on sliced, ultra-ripe tomatoes – but perhaps we’ll have to wait until the summer to delight in that dish.

I’m sure the headline has you thinking I was drinking way too much beer when I wrote this, but rest assured my beer-loving friends, this blog post was written with 100% sobriety. I take beer very seriously.

When you think Italy, you think wine. And lots of it. Glasses of the finest wine from the brilliant regions of Chianti, Piedmont, Umbria and beyond. But perhaps this story will have you second guessing whether to order birra or vino next time you’re in Italy.

By the time I set foot in the crazy metropolis of Rome after touring Italy last October with Eric, I had probably consumed my weight in wine. The only time when I wasn’t drinking wine was colazione and that was quite alright because I was in heaven sipping Italian espresso-infused lattes.

We were only in Rome one full day before heading home so we had to cram the oodles of touristy stuff into a really tight timeframe. Early Saturday morning we set off to check the Colosseum and the other big to-dos off our list. On the way there we decided to take the path less traveled as to avoid the crowds, and besides I’ve always found that off-the-beaten-path journeys usually result in unexpected discoveries.

We approached a building that had a bunch of people filtering in and out with the sign out front that said Campagna Amica. When we looked inside we knew we hit a foodie jackpot – an Italian farmer’s market.

Italian oils, jams, fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses…it was simply divine and Eric and I were sure to partake in sampling. When in Rome, right?

After checking out all of the food vendors we strolled over to the back of the building. There appeared to be a beverage cart of some sort set up…after further evaluation, it was a beer cart.

Now I love wine, but it had been a while since I enjoyed a craft beer so the fact that I was standing in front of a beer cart in Rome was like I was in the desert with an oasis in front of me.

Sample beer at 10 am? Yes, please. Using my best lackluster Italian I learned that it was a local Italian brewery, Birra del Borgo. Craft brewers in Italy seemed counter intuitive given the wine culture but after one sip of the Reale, their American Pale Ale, I wanted more. This Italian craft beer was good. Not just good, but I believe in a taste test against some of the popular American craft beers, it could really stand a chance.

Not only was the beer’s aroma and taste delightful, but the bottle labels were stunning. Beautiful artwork, full of color and life…the graphics precisely convey the brewery’s tagline – Beers made with Passion. Ah yes, that’s what I was tasting in my beer…Passion!

A few more sips and we decided we wanted to bag up several of these bottles, but the kicker was we really didn’t want to lug them around all day. Thankfully, through my piecemeal Italian I learned that there was a local bar and restaurant that sold the beer near the lively night outing spot Campo Dei Fiori (which is in fact where I spent one very fun Halloween in 2003…a story for another day).

After a day of hitting the Roman streets we navigated our way to Via degli Specchi 6 to retrieve our beer. As we were walking down the dark street we noticed a particularly large gathering of people concentrated in front of one area. We walked closer and it was clear this was the spot. Baladin Open – a pub with an artful Italian flare where locals can imbibe on local artisanal beers and eat American-inspired food like hamburgers, buffalo wings and house-made potato chips.

When we walked in the sight was a visual undertaking. The back wall lined with backlighted beer bottles was beautiful. The lighting was dim and there wasn’t a seat to spare in the bar area. It was clear this was a happening spot. I would definitely frequent this locale on a regular basis if I called Rome home.

Unfortunately we didn’t stay for dinner – figured it was best to spend our last night at an Italian restaurant – but we did purchase several bottles of Birra del Borgo to take home with us.

If you visit their website they have quite the extensive lineup of beers. They also have a list of “bizarre” beers and they have a special weird flavor for each month of the year. There’s one made with a fresh oyster and another made with tobacco. All of their experimental beers are as masterfully crafted like their originals, and I must say being the word person that I am, the beer description copy is compelling and clever.

While I know I won’t be venturing back to Rome anytime soon, the good news is that the beer aficionados from Birra del Borgo and Baladin have influenced the beer selection at the Manhattan-based Birreria, the brewpub on the rooftop of the Eataly building. It appears the Italian craft beer invasion is already happening, and I’m loving every second of it.

I predict that in the near future I’ll be taking a quick trip down to New York so I can experience yet again some Italian beer greatness. I cannot wait.

Photos :: Exterior Baladin Open by Ilbirraiodellavaldorcia; all others taken by me

Squash has been my go-to this winter and it’s really quite amazing what you can do with the different variations of squash. One type that I’ve particularly taken to is the sweet and hearty acorn squash. You can pop them in the microwave and then add some salt and pepper for a quick side dish, or if you’re feeling a bit more ambitious, take it to the next level by stuffing these with whatever you’d like.

One of my favorite recipes is Acorn Squash Bowls with Italian Sausage inspired by this recipe I discovered on The Kitchn.

What you’ll need:

- 1 acorn squash
- 16 ounces Italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoons red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1/2 cup jarred artichoke hearts, chopped
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons
- Salt and pepper as needed

To get started, wash and halve the squash then scrape out the seed mixture. Use a fork to prick the squash several times and then drizzle olive oil so it seeps into the squash.

To save some time, cook the squash in the microwave for about 10 minutes or until the squash pulls away easily from the skin with a fork.

Let that cool and then start up your stuffing mixture. Bring a large saute pan to medium heat and add in your Italian sausage. Let that cook for 5 minutes and then add your roasted red peppers, artichokes, oregano, onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. I love a lot of spice so let the red pepper flakes open up with the heat and you’ll be sure to add a nice spice to this bowl!

Turn the stove heat off and add in your spinach and basil. These types of leaves don’t need too much cooking since they will cook with the pan’s remaining heat.

Then completely scrape out the insides of your squash halves with a fork – while maintaining the integrity of the shell – and set aside in a medium sized bowl. The squash should be the perfect temperature to handle but warm enough to eat.

Next add in the Italian sausage filling to your squash and gently stir together. When it’s all mixed together, fill up your bowls with this delicious mixture. It’s savory, sweet and spicy and the perfect warm and hearty dish for a cold winter’s day.

Eat up!

Last Saturday I woke up to find snowflakes falling on the first day of December. It was really quite magical and I was reminded that I love New England because of its true seasons. Given the glistening snow on the ground, and my hankering for some Christmas music, today was the day to take on a batch of cookies. But not just any cookie. A cookie stuffed with a cookie. Call it the ultimate cookie. I saw this dessert at a local restaurant and knew I had to try this decadence.

With the help of my friend Talia, we set out to conquer these cookies with the end goal of enjoying these treats guilt-free with a glass of milk.

What you’ll need:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
- 1 package of double stuffed Oreo cookies

Heat oven to 375ºF. In small bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, combine sugars, butter, vanilla and egg.

Next, slowly add the flour mixture little by little into the large bowl until it is all combined.

Before you eat all of the chocolate chips from the bag, fold them into the mixture until you have your completed cookie dough.

Now for the fun part….

Take about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and wrap around one of your double stuffed Oreo cookies. Now, there’s no nice way to do this – you simply need to handle this like a meatball and completely enrobe the Oreo. Make sure the dough is completely sealed and packed around the Oreo to prevent it from opening and unraveling when cooking in the oven.

As you can see, these things are huge so they should be spaced out enough to prevent combining together while cooking. I put six to a cookie sheet and it worked perfectly.

Stick in the oven for 8-10 minutes and watch them bake – and grow! If you love Oreo cookies and chocolate chip cookies, this is a marriage made in baking heaven. There are several different types of Oreo flavors and styles, including the Christmas Oreos filled with the red creme filling - these would add a nice color pop to the center! I realize these might be a bit indulgent, but these are fun to bring to holiday parties and a great conversation starter. Enjoy!

Sometimes the best recipes are conceived from places you’ve been and the experiences therein. This recipe is just that. I was recently in Italy (the most magical place on earth with coincidently the best food on earth) with my beau and we were walking through the streets of Rome. We stumbled (literally, I think I tripped over a curb) upon a bustling Saturday morning farmer’s market. This place was sans tourists (which in Rome is hard to come by) and locals were filing in and out, gathering their goods for the week. This place was alive with vendors pedaling the richest and freshest foods imaginable. Meats. Cheeses. Wines. Fruits. Veggies. Oils. Jams. And the best part was samples were on display like a buffet at Thanksgiving. It was a mini-feast. In my sampling escapade, I was lured in by an Italian man talking up his line of jams and preserves. His line was distinguished from the rest with unique flavors beyond the traditional fragola. One flavor being a tasty pumpkin preserve. Seeing that I love pumpkin ANYTHING, this tugged at the heart strings of this foodie and I engaged in conversation about all the things you could do with that pumpkin preserve…one being pairing it with ricotta. He happened to have Ricotta handy (like any good Italian), and handed me a spoon with a dollop of ricotta atop the pumpkin preserve. MMMM. It was amazing and I knew this combination would open up an infinite amount of culinary possibilities…

Including Pumpkin Ricotta Pancakes. Not only are these the perfect pancake for the fall (Happy November!) but these are oh-so moist on the inside because of the wonder of Ricotta.

To create these flapjacks, you’ll need:

- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 3 eggs

First combine all of your dry ingredients into a large bowl. I’m very liberal with the cinnamon so feel free to add some more if you love that cinnamon-y flavor. Next, in a separate small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla and milk and pour into the dry ingredients.

You’ll then take your ricotta and pumpkin…(look at how good they look just sitting there!)

…And stir them in with the other ingredients.

You don’t want to blend all the way. Make sure there are still chunks of ricotta in your mixture so you can ensure there will be ricotta almost serving as a filling in the middle of the pancake when you cook it.

After you’ve allowed your pan or griddle to warm to a medium heat, coat the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil (or another favorite oil like grape seed or coconut). By using oil it allows the sides of the pancakes to get nice and crispy, which gives it that homestyle flare.

Then add about a half cup of mixture to the pan. Because this mixture is thick and not runny like traditional pancake batter, you’ll need to use your spoon to spread out the pancake into a larger circle. This will ensure the pancakes are the perfect thickness – not too chunky – and also cook through the center.

Once you’ve made as many as you think your stomach can handle, stack them up and add your favorite toppings. I love my pancakes with a bit of butter and powdered sugar…and this seemed to be the perfect topping for these delicious treats.

This recipe makes about 9-10 pancakes and can be easily doubled…

Enjoy!

On one of the first really warm days of the summer, my boyfriend and I walked over to the season opener of the Food Truck Festivals of New England held in South Boston. It was hot. And it was dead noon. But the heat wouldn’t keep us away from food truck hopping our way to a blissful state of full.

At first we were rather disenchanted because the lines to get your food truck booklets were long. And as we looked around, so were the lines to get food. I usually don’t like to wait in line for anything. I hate waiting in line for roller coasters. And waiting in line at the supermarket is even more maddening (especially those who abuse the 10 items or less register). But for food truck delicacies, I decided waiting would be worth it.

After people watching while waiting in line, we retrieved our passport to the more than 30 food trucks ranging from seafood and Chinese to BBQ and sweet treats.

One of our favorite stops was Roxy’s gourmet grilled cheese station. I gobbled down the Green Muenster (clever, right?!) which sandwiched together muenster, guacamole and applewood bacon.

Another favorite was the New England Pulled Pork Slider from The Dining Car. The BBQ sauce was a perfect combination of sweet and savory and the meat was oh-so tender.

My boyfriend was craving a hotdog (and I wasn’t about to say no to one) so we pit-stopped at the Trolley Dog truck for a New York-style beef frank. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about that hotdog!

After we filled up on main courses, it was time for dessert. Unfortunately the lines were too long to get more than one dessert so we picked the spot that everyone was raving about – Frozen Hoagies!

Because I’m a coffee lover I went after the Java Chip-Health Bar cookie combination. And let me tell you something. It rocked my world and was the perfect way to cool down at the end of the tour de food trucks. These frozen hoagies put ice cream sandwiches to shame.

If you missed the first food truck event in Boston, there are several more to come throughout New England this summer. Next up is The Worcester Food Truck Festival on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. I’d highly recommend going. Believe me, your stomach will thank you.

Watermelon is a staple of summertime and Fourth of July barbeques across America. I think we all have one of those pictures from a family picnic, pretending the watermelon rind is a smile. (And if you say you don’t, you’re lying!) Recently I was enjoying some watermelon at a friends BBQ and realized frozen watermelon would be a great alternative to sugary, artificial-flavored popsicles. All that’s required is one over-ripe watermelon – the more ripe a fruit is, the more concentrated its sugars become – and some type of a popsicle stick.

You can decide to slice whatever shape you’d like. To stick with watermelon tradition, I cut out these small triangles.

Next cut off the rind and prepare your watermelon slices for your popsicles. Be sure to remove the black seeds and as many of the white seeds as possible.

Insert your popsicle stick of choice into your watermelon slices. I bought a set of paper drinking straws from Target in fun, colorful patterns, and cut them in half (you can find them in the party section next to the greeting cards). Once they’re ready, put them in the good ‘ol ice box for four hours. You’ll know when they’re done because you’ll see them create a layer of frost, similar to what you might find on your average grocery store popsicle!

These are great to enjoy on a sizzling summer’s day and a way to get your popsicle fix without the fake ingredients. All-natural, baby! I also use these frozen treats to add flavor to ice water, and you can jazz up a mojito or other summer spirit by using frozen watermelon slices as ice cubes.

Who knew watermelon could be so fun?