Friday Fun: Plan Ahead. Eat Ahead.

Do you realize that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away? Two weeks from today, you'll either be out the door at the crack of dawn for sales, or ... if you're like me ... sleeping in, safe in the knowledge that there are leftovers from the feast and you don't have to do anything. At. All.

One of my favorite leftovers? Nantucket Cranberry Pie. I've shared the recipe before. I'm sharing it again. The only problem is -- sometimes there aren't leftovers. This pie disappears. Fast.

I think you should make Nantucket Cranberry Pie this weekend, just to see if it's something to add to the Thanksgiving Day spread. And I think you should invite me over for a big ol' piece, with a really good cup of coffee.

Happy weekend!

Creativity Tips: Practice the Art's of Salesmanship

Life is good. I walked into a local grocery store yesterday to pick up some salsa and a few other things for a new recipe. Now, you've never gone grocery shopping with me. It's not pretty. I am one of those shoppers who slows down the minute I walk into the store, and then wanders the aisles, looking at every single option. (Yes. I know how annoying this is to those of you in a hurry. I consider the grocery store a sanctuary. And I do try to move out of your way.)

But I digress. As I was standing there, staring at the 2,000 options, a man came up with a box of salsa and chips and other goodies and quickly restocked his area.

"You know what you want?" he said. (And it was a statement, not a question.) "You want Art's Mild Salsa. It is the best! The very best in town."

It was, of course, what he was restocking. But he was happy and friendly and sincerely enthusiastic about his company and their products.

"It's the best, huh?"

"Absolutely! The very best! And our chips and tortillas are the best too -- you won't find any better."

"What's the difference between the hot salsa and the mild salsa?" I asked, immediately willing to buy Art's and give it a try. I mean, how do you say no to super salsa enthusiasm? "Is the hot extra hot?"

"No, no! Not too hot. It's great!" He finished stocking the tortilla chips, stood up and grinned. "Tell you what, I'll pull the truck around in the parking lot and give you some samples. If you like 'em, you tell your friends!"

I like 'em. I'm telling my friends. Buy Art's.

Yes. He gave me all this stuff. 

I haven't tried it all, but what I have tried is delicious. 

Want the creativity/business tip portion of the post? The man is stocking grocery shelves. You may not consider that the most glamorous job on the planet. But he saw an opportunity to talk with a potential client and he seized it. And, in less than a minute, he turned that opportunity into future sales. Engaging, enthusiastic communication -- in print or in person -- works creative wonders. 

Food is Love: Unsalted Baking Co.

@unsaltedbakingco on Instagram

I haven't done a "Food is Love" post for a while. But this is the perfect time to share good news and good food. I'm delighted to announce that Mary and her friend Tyler have officially launched Unsalted Baking Company, LLC. 

Consider the pic above a nosh -- a little sampling. It doesn't even include a photo of their world-famous chocolate chip cookies. 

Now, being the supportive mother that I am, I have FORCED MYSELF to sample all the goodies. You know, just to make sure they're acceptable. They are acceptable. (Ohmilord. The strawberry cupcakes may be my new favorite food group. Because I can eat a group of them. And the peanut butter cake is scrumptious. Ditto the chocolate pie. Well, ditto for all of it.)

Unsalted Baking Co. is now taking orders for your holiday parties, special events, or day-to-day cravings. Enjoy! Oh -- and when you check out their Instagram feed, you'll discover that their copy is as beautiful as the photos. Makes my heart happy. 

You know you want some. Send an email. 

P.S. I'm thankful for the good sense to know that I need to step away from politics for a few days and give my heart and soul a rest. I'll be back on social media, checking news, planning the revolution, etc., on Monday. 

P.P.S. As always, I'm thankful for you! I hope your holidays are filled with happiness and love. Save yourself a corner of time to be creative. 

Food is Love: Betty Crocker is My Gal

Now that Kate has her own home, she and I have been enjoying Thursday night cooking/baking together in her gorgeous kitchen. Last week, she wanted to make snickerdoodles. I'd never made them before, because I would glance at a recipe and realize I didn't have cream of tartar in the pantry.

Frankly, I can't pronounce cream of tartar. And it makes me think of fish, not cookies.

All that aside, I turned to Betty Crocker for assistance and -- as always -- she came through. This recipe rocks. SCRUMPTIOUS and easy. Ovens vary, but Kate pulled the cookies out at 7 minutes and they were perfect. Enjoy!

P.S. Tonight, Kate doesn't have to do any of the work. I'm baking her favorite cake, as the birthday week celebration continues. Give it a try: Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate cake and frosting. It's perfectly delicious.

Food is Love: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Green Smoothie

I've done the research, and if you ask reasonably rational people if they'd like spinach and chia seeds for breakfast, they'll say "NO!"

Well, that's not exactly true. According to my research, at least one of those people will put a finger in her mouth, pretend to gag, and walk away laughing.

Sigh. It's hard to be a good influence. So here's my advice: Don't ask. Don't tell. Just make your loved ones this scrumptious green smoothie and serve it with a smile.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Green Smoothie 
(Makes 1 big smoothie)

3/4 cup milk (Whatever kind you want. I use 1 percent, but it could be skim, soy, whatever.)
1 medium banana
3/4 cup frozen berries -- preferably a mix with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries
3/4 cup fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chia seeds

Put in the blender in the above order. Blend. Pour. Drink. Feel great!

Creativity Tips: Simple Works

One of my favorite creative outlets is baking, so I'm typically asked to bring dessert to any special event. Fun! And I've now added a simple treat to my cake and cookie line-up. I bring fruit salad.

My recipe? Simple:
One fresh pineapple
One Granny Smith apple
One small carton of strawberries
A bunch of red grapes
One kiwi (Optional.)
One cutie -- those teeny oranges, when in season (Optional. And real oranges don't work.)

Wash it, dice it, stir it all up. You've got the perfect dessert. Or the perfect "chaser" for chocolate cake. Or the perfect base for vanilla yogurt and pecans and chia seeds -- my standard breakfast.

Simple? You bet. And people love it. Creativity -- in any area -- doesn't have to be complicated. Simple is simply refreshing. Give it a try. Simplify.

Food is Love: Nutella

I waffle. Should this be a Food is Love post? Or a Friday Fun post? I think it's both.

Nutella has been around since the 1940s, so I'm a little late to the table. I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago and discovered my new favorite snack: Nutella on a graham cracker. It's yum, it's fun and that makes it good for you.

Let's ignore the fact that the first ingredient is sugar. Better yet, don't ignore it. Because, as my grandmother used to say, "Everyone needs a little sweets."

Happy weekend!

(If you're ready to expand beyond Nutella on a graham cracker, check out this muffin recipe, one of many floating around Pinterest. AKA, the site currently known as a bottomless hole of time-sucking possibilities. I haven't tried the muffin recipe yet, so let me know if it's good.)

Food is Love: Yogurt Apple Pie

Yep! I'm bringing it back -- the Food is Love feature on the CI blog. If you're new, don't argue with me re: the psychological impact of equating food with love. I'm a Jewish mother. Don't go there.

Our first new recipe is easy-peasy and scrumptious. It's not really apple pie, but it's the next best thing. Actually, I don't like apple pie, so this is the first best thing for me. There are no measurements because we are all creative souls and I have no idea how much cinnamon you prefer.

Mix this up in quantities you like. Taste as you go. Enjoy!

• Cut up one very fresh, crisp apple. Eat about a third of it while you're cutting, because you don't need it all with the yogurt.
• Mix the apple pieces into low-fat vanilla yogurt.
• Sprinkle in a fair amount of cinnamon.
• Toss in a good handful of chopped pecans, pecan pieces, whatever you have in your freezer. (You do keep pecans in the freezer, ready for baking, correct? Good.) If you are allergic to nuts, don't be nutty. Don't add nuts.
• Stir it all up.

Now, here's the important part:
Put this in a beautiful bowl or parfait glass, because that makes it taste even better.

Enjoy!

Food is Love: Chocolate Crinkles

For a recent birthday party, Scott and Leslie both baked the birthday girl's favorite cookie -- chocolate crinkles. I hadn't ever tried these little wonders before. Ohmilord. So much goodness in such a little cookie.

Today, it's your turn for a double dose of wonderfulness -- the recipe and Scott's guest post. His post further explains why I call this ongoing feature, "Food is Love." Thanks, Scott!

I didn't grow up with Chocolate Crinkles. I was introduced to them by Tim's paternal grandmother. For some years, she would prepare a batch of each grandchild's "favorite" cookies around the holidays, mailing a tin to each some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Later, she wisely spread her effort across 12 months. Cookies were sent around birthday times instead.

While Tim likes the crinkles, they are not his "favorite." Nor were they ever. But Lucy continued sending us crinkles each year. Could it be because I told her the first time I experienced them that they were my new favorite? Tim jokingly started saying, "Now we know which one of us she likes better." (Coincidentally, our birthdays are back-to-back.) Tim shared the story of his "favorite" cookies when he spoke at Lucy's funeral.

A few years before she died, Lucy decided that she couldn't keep up with the baking any more. So she carefully prepared the applicable "favorite" recipe card for each grandchild. Now I can't remember if she mailed the Chocolate Crinkles recipe in Tim's birthday card that year -- or mine.

As with the assortment of yellowing cards I have in the recipe file written by my own grandmothers, pulling out the Crinkles card a few times a year helps me keep something going. Though, I swear my Chocolate Crinkles will never taste quite as good as Lucy's.

I wonder if a few decades from now, a great-niece or nephew of mine will say, "My Chocolate Crinkles will never taste quite as good as Uncle Scott's"?

CHOCOLATE CRINKLES
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
6 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1-1/2 c. flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
powdered sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Microwave 1 cup of chocolate chips for 1 minute; stir; repeat until melted and smooth; cool slightly.
Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla.
Beat melted chocolate into butter/sugar mixture.
Add eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated.
Fold in flour, salt and baking powder.
Stir in remaining, unmelted chocolate chips (1 c. -- or more if you have some extra and want to add them).
Shape dough into 1" balls and roll heavily in powdered sugar.
Place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake 10-11 minutes; cool 5 minutes on pan then remove to wire rack.
Approx. 3 dozen cookie

Food is Love: Play With Your Food

Yep, another Food is Love feature that's not on Friday. Blame it on the holidays. And this is a holiday post, because some of you may plan to make the cranberry pie I raved about before Thanksgiving as part of your Christmas meal.

Before you do ... read this and prepare to play with your food. And the recipe.

When I made the recipe again, I didn't like it as much. I discussed this important dessert situation with my buddy Scott, who also made the pie for Thanksgiving. We decided the recipe is perfect for adjusting:

1. It needs more cranberries. We both used more than the recipe called for -- and it still wasn't enough. Scott also mentioned using both cherries and cranberries, which I think sounds really yummy. But more fruit would be good. Which brings us to ... too much crust.

2. When I made the pie the first time, I used a regular pie pan and a bunch of the crust overflowed and had to be cut off. Therefore, the crust left on the pie was thinner. And, frankly, it was better that way. (Creativity! Mistakes can be the best thing ever.)

3. The pecans are good, but they get lost in the filling. Scott said he might use walnuts instead of pecans the next time, and add them to the batter rather than the filling.

Basically, recipes are my Pirate's Code: "They're not so much rules as they are guidelines."

Food is Love: Naked Ginger Men

OK, we'll start with the obvious. If you have reached this post because you Googled "Naked Men" and this link came up, my sincere apologies. I know a recipe is very disappointing.

For the rest of you, it's your lucky day. Angela's recipe = my new favorite cookies. Seriously. I want a ginger man right now. And it won't surprise you to learn that I like them better naked. Thanks for the cookies and the guest post, Ang!

Faced with the dilemma of wanting to meet Jan for coffee and needing to make cookies for a family get-together, I knew something was going to have to give. Perfect cookies vs. much-needed time with a friend, how could I get both? The ginger men would just have to be naked.

Nobody really cares if the cookies have cute little frosting faces. In fact, I think naked ginger men are better. Not overly sweet and the spices really come through. Frost if you must but leave some bare so you save time to do something else – like catching up with a friend or enjoying a few minutes of holiday tranquility.

Gingerbread cookies, makes 3 dozen

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Cream butter with sugar and molasses. Add egg.
2. Whisk together flour, soda, salt and spices in a separate bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Chill dough in refrigerator for a few hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Dust your work surface lightly with flour and roll out dough to desired thickness.
5. Cut into shapes and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 mins.
6. While cookies are still warm, you can add raisins or other decorations. Or let cool and frost. They are really good with no decoration at all -- crisp and spicy like ginger snaps

Note from Jan: You'll find more about this recipe on Angela's new blog, Mom's recipes. The blog is a tribute honoring the memory of her amazing mom -- and it's a gift to us all. Talk about "Food is Love."

Food is Love: The Shiksa in the Kitchen

Here's a Chanukah link from Mo, who knows how it feels to be The Shiksa in the Kitchen. (Are you a shiksa? Check it out.) Thanks, Mo!

Food is Love: Nantucket Cranberry Pie

I know, I know. You expect the Food is Love feature on Fridays. Well, consider this a public service announcement for Thanksgiving: Make this pie. Ohmygoodness. I made it, took it to Mo's house yesterday, and the crowd went crazy.

I would take full credit for the deliciousness, but all I did was follow the Nantucket Cranberry Pie recipe from the Pioneer Woman.*

Buy the ingredients now. Bake it Wednesday. Eat it Thursday. Thank me later.

*I did use the entire bag of cranberries, which was more than 2 cups. But I'd do that again. Also, the pie overflowed, but I used a pie tin instead of the recommended cake pan. My bad. Fortunately, I had the pie tin on a cookie sheet, and the overflow crust became cookies. Really, it's that good.

Food is Love: Apple Brown Betty

There are people who can make pie crusts. I am not one of those people. Frankly, I burn the already made, just-place-it-in-the-pie-tin crusts. Fortunately, there's Apple Brown Betty -- one of my Thanksgiving staples. This recipe is from the classic Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. It's a "don't mess with success" recipe; perfect as is*. And easy.

Apple Brown Betty

4 cups sliced pared tart apples (They say you can also use 1 1-pound 2-ounce can of pie-sliced applies drained, but I always use the fresh apples.)

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Dash of salt

1/2 cup butter (Unsalted, because I say so and it's my blog, gosh darn it.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mound apples in buttered 9-inch pie plate; sprinkle with orange juice. Combine sugar, flour, spices, and salt; cut in butter till mixture is crumbly; sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or till apples are tender and topping is crisp. (I always put the pie plate on a cookie sheet, to protect the oven from run-over drips.)

Serve warm with cream. Or cold with ice cream. Or just bury your head in the pie plate and slurp. This is not recommended if you're sharing.

*I did change the name. BHG calls it Apple Betty. I've always called it Apple Brown Betty. You'll just call it delicious.

Food is Love: Pumpkin Bread

Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away? Time really does fly ... whether you're having fun or not.

Right now, I'm having fun planning for the big meal. My grandmother's pumpkin bread is always on the menu. It's yummy. And this recipe makes three good-sized loaves. Or two loaves and muffins. Mmmmm. Pumpkin muffins. They even sound delicious. Enjoy!

Sophie's Pumpkin Bread
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
1 16 oz. can of pumpkin
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup raisins (optional)
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together all ingredients. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. More or less. Size matters, so consider the size of your pans and check as you go. (My grandmother's note says she used the 3x7 disposable pans and this made four pans. The note also says she took it to the May 3 potluck. I love old notes.)

FYI, I generally put about 1/3 or 1/2 cup of raisins in just one of the loaves. I like raisins, but not everyone in the family does. This recipe gives you so much batter, you can please everyone. Happy people, breaking bread together. I'm always thankful for that!

Food is Love: Cookies for the Cure

My mom is a breast cancer survivor. I lost Du to breast cancer earlier this year. A number of my friends have had breast cancer. So, Breast Cancer Awareness month is special to me.

Given that, I was delighted to talk with Mary Eckenrode from Cheryl's about Cookies for the Cure, their current fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

"Our company is passionate about reaching out to organizations and specifically to the Susan G. Komen Foundation," Mary says. "Many of our associates have been touched by breast cancer -- we've all been touched in some way."

I appreciate that commitment -- and I also like Cheryl's for three other big reasons:

1. Cheryl, who started the company, used to bake with her grandmother and brought some of the old family recipes to the business. My grandmother's kitchen was one of my favorite places on earth. Talk about food is love ...
2. Before sending sample cookies for us to review, Mary said, "Oh, honey! Just wait until you taste them. Our buttercream frosted cookies are to die for. They will melt in your mouth!" Trust me, that's not copy someone wrote for her to say. Mary likes the cookies. Genuine enthusiasm from a corporate spokesperson. Gotta love that.
3. The review cookies lived up to the promotion. My Mary -- cookie taster extraordinaire -- said: "Very good. Soft. The icing wasn't too sweet like some buttercreams can be. The cookie is a nice texture, not too soft, so you can hold it, but soft enough. Overall, very good. Tastes homemade."

And here's one more reason to like Cheryl's. They're going to give one of you a treat -- "Cookies for the Cure Treat Tower." All three layers of the tower are pink boxes. One tier includes the buttercream pink hearts, another tier includes a sugar, oatmeal, chocolate chip assortment, and the last tier includes four frosted brownies that I've been told are incredible.

I'm gaining weight just thinking about it. If you'd like to win the treat tower, just post a comment here.* Tell me what cookie you like best, or post the name of someone you'd like to honor during Breast Cancer Awareness month. Tell me your favorite color. I don't care ... just post something. Or, since I know some of you don't like posting, you can email me at jan@sokoloffharness.com. I'll take entries through Sunday, Oct. 10, at midnight. Winner will be announced Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Thanks to Cheryl's for supporting the cause!

* I think the posting thing on Blogspot has issues. If you don't get a word to copy for the "word verification" line, just type in XXX. It will come back and tell you the answer didn't match, and then give you a word. Works for me every time. Happy weekend!

Food is Love: Corn Casserole

My buddy Scott does the most wonderful thing: He listens. When I talk to him, he listens. He's interested, he pays attention, he asks questions, he remembers what concerns me and inquires about it later. He listens. Isn't that amazing? Such a lost art.

Scott also cooks and bakes -- he's multi-talented. And today's "Food is Love" recipe is one he requested. It's basically from The Pampered Chef's Recipes from the Heart Cookbook. The cookbook calls this "escalloped corn." I call it "the corn casserole thingy with green chilies." You'll call it delicious.

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter*, melted

1 can creamed corn

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 cup sour cream

2 eggs, beaten

1 package (8 1/2 ounces) cornbread mix (I use Jiffy corn muffin mix. Mmm.)

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine butter, creamed corn and whole kernel corn; stir in sour cream and eggs. Add cornbread mix; blend well. Stir in chilies. Pour batter into greased 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Bake 35-40 minutes until lightly browned and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Eat like a little piggy because that's how good it is!

*Yeah, yeah, if you have to use something else, go ahead. I'm just sayin' ... unsalted is best. And please don't tell me if you use margarine. I want us to remain friends.

Food is Love: Chicken Noodle Soup

When I say, "Food is love," this is what I'm talking about:

Yesterday, after we got home from the hospital (and the surgery went well; thanks for all the good thoughts!), Tom took a long nap. When he woke up, the one thing he wanted was chicken noodle soup.

Now, you'd think a good Jewish mother would have that on hand. You'd be right. Clearly, I am not a good Jewish mother.

No matter. Two seconds after Tom made his request, while I was wondering if I even had a can of Campbell's on hand, the doorbell rings. And there's our buddies Maureen and Sandy, carrying a box of goodies. Salad, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, cookies. And chicken noodle soup.*

Food is love. Especially when it's delivered by friends who know there are times when it's best to walk in, drop the food off, hug really tight, and leave.

I hope you have a healthy, happy weekend. I hope you have friends who know when to show up and when to leave. I hope you have hugs. And I'll see you back here Monday!

*I haven't tried the recipe, but it's from the Pioneer Woman so you know it's yummy. More chicken and noodles than soup, but still ... it looks good!

Food is Love: Green Bean Casserole

OK, I read Women, Food and God. I liked it. I know in my heart that Geneen Roth is right: Equating food and love is dangerous.

Nonetheless, with apologies to Ms. Roth, I'm sticking with the Food is Love series. Which brings us to what may be my most-requested, non-dessert dish: the infamous green bean casserole.

Now, most of the time, I think the best recipes come from the people who make the ingredients. Want a good chocolate chip cookie recipe? Follow the one from Nestle. Hungry for chocolate cake? I recommend the recipe on the Hershey cocoa box. Or, you can try Angela's riff on it.

But if you want a green bean casserole that keeps 'em coming back, ignore the Campbell soup approach. You do NOT need milk. Soy sauce? I laugh at soy sauce.

Here's what you need:
Two cans of good green beans. Not the cheap generic version.
1/2 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup.
1 small can french fried onions (Take out the bank loan, these suckers are expensive.)
Lots of pepper

1. Drain the two cans of green beans. Dump them into a small casserole dish.
2. Stir in half of the soup. (No milk. Just the soup.) Save the other half of the soup in the refrigerator, because your friends and family will be asking for this casserole again in a day or two. And there's no need to waste food.
3. Add pepper to taste. Now, add a little more.
   
4. Stir in half of the french fried onions. Then, use the other half to cover the top of the casserole.
   
5. Cover the casserole dish and microwave on high for 10 minutes. You can also cook this in the oven, but I haven't done that for years. I think it baked at 350 degrees for a long time. I don't have that kind of patience.
   

With a microwave and this recipe, you're 10 minutes away from being a hero. Don't trust me on this. Try it. Happy weekend!

Food is Love: Extreme Eggplant

According to a story in the Kansas City Star this week, "In Turkey, the mark of a good cook is whether he or she knows how to make more than 40 eggplant dishes."

Isn't that fascinating? Creativity, talent ... it's all so relative. Heck, you can be the best cook in Kansas, and not know more than, oh, two eggplant dishes. But you better have at least 40 cookie recipes ready to go!

I have one eggplant recipe, and it's a riff on Eggplant Parmesan II from AllRecipes.com. Print that recipe then ...

For starts, I didn't know what to do with eggplant the first time I made the recipe. Peel it and cut it in thin slices. Then, salt the slices and let them stand, sideways, for about 40 minutes in a colander. Blot dry.

I didn't have Italian seasoned bread crumbs, so I used Caesar croutons, crushed and mixed with some flour. And, I didn't use the basil. The result? Very yum. It did take a long time, but I'm notoriously slow with prep work.

One eggplant recipe down. Another 40 or so to go!