More than worth the money I paid for it.

As much as I love red velvet, I’m not sure I’ve ever made it before. I may have made it one other time…I have some vague memories of not being entirely pleased with a recipe. However, I do remember soliciting red velvet cake recipes several years ago, and my friend Summer sent me her mother’s.

I spent some time on Thursday comparing 3 different red velvet recipes I have. I ended up deciding Summer’s mom’s was going to be the best. But she had a buttercream frosting recipe with it, and I knew Ashby loved cream cheese frosting, so I substituted that from another recipe.

The cake was a big hit. Here’s how we did it.

Red Velvet Cake
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 oz. red food coloring
1 t. vanilla
3 T. cocoa powder
1 t. salt
1 c. buttermilk
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. vinegar

Cream sugar, eggs and butter. Mix in food coloring and vanilla. Mix together cocoa, flour and salt. Beat in buttermilk and flour mix alternately. Combine soda and vinegar and mix in. Beat 2-3 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes in 3 8″ well-buttered pans. Cool completely in pans before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts

Cream butter and cream cheese. Sift in powdered sugar and beat well. Add vanilla and nuts [which we didn't use].

Well, you know the best thing to do when you have a craving is just to give in to it. Only once we’ve eaten our way through the toffee forest can we emerge safe and sound on the other side.

So when the hubs needed some treats to take to school on Friday, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make these toffee bars. [Sidenote: He forgot and left them on the counter at home, so my apologies to all the teachers at Hunters Lane. We've now eaten your toffee. On the bright side, he hadn't left enough OUT of the box for us here at home, so forgetting to take the box with him means his life is not in danger, either.]

This recipe is incredibly easy and still tastes great. It’s adapted from the toffee bar recipe in the Junior League of Nashville’s Notably Nashville cookbook. [Shameless plug: I'm in the Junior League, even though I rarely write about it here. And this is a great cookbook. Lots of easy party dishes in particular. Get your own via our website. Purchasing a cookbook supports our efforts to aid women and children in need in Nashville.]

Toffee Bars
15 graham crackers
2 sticks butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. chocolate chips

Grease a cookie sheet then arrange the crackers in a single layer. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the brown sugar and walnuts. Stir constantly. Cook til it boils for 1 min. Pour the mixture over the graham crackers and spread to the edges of them. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

When you remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the bars and spread the chocolate. Cool completely and then break into small pieces.

Many years ago, I bought the Italian bible: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. Frankly, I don’t use it as much as I should, but it’s my go-to for sauces in particular.

I’ve made Hazan’s alfredo sauce approximately a zillion times. I’m an alfredo fan, and it’s a quick sauce to make, as well. A 10-minute gourmet dinner.

But I have never in my life made that sauce as well as my 9yo did Sunday night.

The recipe itself is simple:

1 c. heavy cream
2 T. butter

Melt together over low heat until slightly thickened. Add:

2/3 c. grated Parmesan Reggiano

Stir til melted. Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.

Boom. That’s it. And yet I’ve gotten this sauce wrong more often than not. After I tasted the 9yo’s version, I immediately knew why.

I love, love, love my Microplane graters. I have one for zest, nutmeg and Parmesan sorts of things, and a larger one for softer cheese. Ever since I’ve owned them, I haven’t used any other kind of grater. I used to use a Zyliss grater for Parmesan all the time. It produces a thicker grate–so the finished product is denser than it is with the Microplane.

[Yes, we're about to dive off the culinary cliff, in which I demand recipes with weights and measures.]

I had the 9yo use the Zyliss to grate her cheese, because there’s no way to slice off half your arm, like there is with the Microplane. End result? I’m guessing her sauce had 2-3 times as much Parmesan as mine usually does. And the result was to-die-for.

You could certainly achieve the same result with the Microplane, just by using lots more than 2/3 c., or by packing it down [how much??], but the best thing would be to know how much cheese we’re actually talking about. Saying 1 c. of something solid really tells you nothing. Liquids are more predictable when you’re measuring volume. This is why your cereal is measured by “weight” and not by “volume.” 12 oz. of cereal = 12 oz. of cereal, but 12 oz. of the exact same kind of cereal might be 2 c. or 3 c., depending on how it packs into the measuring cup on any given day.

So, next time we make alfredo, we’ll use the Zyliss and weigh the result. Then we’ll know exactly what we’re dealing with in the future.

The end result was so little food in the house we had to order takeout for dinner. We hardly ever do that — not even in a good economy! The longer I cook, the pickier I’ve become about eating out. I find so few restaurants actually meet my standards. If the first thought I have upon tasting restaurant food is, This would taste better if I made this at home, I mark the place off my list.

But yesterday, it was back in the kitchen for me. First up: A loaf of whole wheat bread. I’ve always loved bread-baking, and since I’ve been on a more flexible schedule the past couple of months, I’ve made all our bread. You can actually make homemade bread fairly quickly, or even in a breadmaker, but I find it tastes best, and has the best crumb, when I let it rise slowly. Next time I make some, I’ll take pictures and post the recipe.

I also made biscuits, mexican chicken lasagna and homemade mac and cheese yesterday. But today I’d like to direct you to the two wonderful spreads I made:

• Walnut-Feta Pate
• Tapenade

I’ve talked a little bit about my addiction to Walnut-Feta Pate before. [But to be truly fair to the pate, it doesn't taste exactly like deviled ham. It's more complex and interesting. It's just also nice and salty.] This delicious concoction from The Moosewood Cookbook has been my lunch for more workdays than I can count. It’s just one of many well worn pages in my Moosewood Cookbook. You know, one of those pages the book falls open to on its own? And the page is covered in spills and stains? Those are the great recipes.

Walnut-Feta Pate Recipe
from the Moosewood Cookbook

1 c. walnuts
Handful of flat-leaved parsley
1 c. crumbled feta
1/2 c. milk
1 t. paprika
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of oregano
Drizzle of olive oil

Pulse the walnuts and parsley in the food processor til they’re nicely chopped together. Dump everything else in and whizz it around a few seconds. This is great on sandwiches, crackers or with raw veggies as a dip.

Tapenade Recipe

12 oz. great olives
1/4 c. capers
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil

First, a word about olives. “Great” olives do not come in a can. Decent olives may come in a jar, usually from another country. They will have a varietal name, and not just be called “olives.” You may also find decent olives in an olive bar at your local grocer.

Pit the olives if they aren’t pitted. Sometimes you can pit olives by hand, just pressing the pits out with your fingers. I tend to use a cherry pitter — which means I don’t buy many small olives, since they slip right through the pitter whole. But you can also find pretty good olives already pitted if you look.

Rinse and drain the olives and capers. Dump everything in the food processor except olive oil. Start with about 1/4 c. of olive oil. Mix. As soon as the olives and capers are chopped, the mixture should form a paste that lumps together. If it doesn’t, add a bit more olive oil. It shouldn’t take much more, however.

Store this in the fridge. Great on crackers with soft cheese. I’m using mine as a sandwich spread with fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers later this week.

One day, I happened to make homemade applesauce on a whim, and I reminded myself how delicious this treat is. It’s one of those magic foods that’s ridiculously simple to make, doesn’t take too long, and tastes so much better than store-bought that it’s like a different food.

The other thing about applesauce is that there’s not really a recipe for it. Here, I’ve basically written up some notes about how I often make it, but I’m also including options you may want to consider.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe
Makes 4 or so cups

6 large apples*
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. allspice
Water

Peel and slice the apples. Here we get into one of your first choices. If you want quick-cooking, fine-textured applesauce, just dice the apples finely. Here, we like chunky applesauce, so I cut the apples into 1/8″-1/4″ slices and let them cook down a bit.

Put the apples in a heavy saucepan — they should no more than half-fill the pan. Just barely cover the apples with water. Dump in the other ingredients. Cover. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.

Basically, all you have to do now is cook the apples til they look and taste done to you. This takes no more than 30 minutes for me, but your cooking time will vary based on how you’ve chopped the apples. Check the apples every 5-10 minutes, more frequently the longer they’ve cooked. You may need to add water after they’ve cooked a while. They should remain “saucy” — if you let them dry out completely, they’ll burn and stick to the pan. Keeping them covered reduces the need for water, but you may still need to add some.

Once the apples seem very close to being done, have a taste. You may want more sugar or spice. Different apples [even among the same cultivar] will have different levels of sweetness and flavor, based on the time of year and how fresh they are. Always start low on the sugar and spice, and add more toward the end if need be.

Variations
I sometimes add butter. I’m from the South, and everything tastes better with butter. [Really.] I never add more than a couple of tablespoons. But it will make your applesauce richer and smoother.

You can certainly experiment with different spices, too. I recommend sticking with small amounts, and one or two spices total, however. It’s easy to muddle up the flavor. Other spice possibilities:

• Ground ginger
• Cloves
• Nutmeg [Please, only use nutmeg you grate yourself. Easy, and so much better.]

Also delicious: Serve applesauce warm with chopped, roasted nuts on top [or even better: with nuts you've coated in butter, sugar, a tad of salt and then roasted]. My kids typically don’t like nuts in things, so I rarely do this at home.

While the method I describe here will give you delicious homemade applesauce pretty quickly, I also find Edna Lewis‘ theory on cooking to be so true: Cooking long and slow draws out a deeper, richer flavor. So when I think about it, I’ll put apples on very low in the morning and tend them while I go about other tasks in the kitchen.

* The kind of apples you use for applesauce makes a big difference. Please, whatever you do, do NOT use Red Delicious apples for applesauce. As far as I’m concerned, these tasteless, often mealy blobs should be banned from the earth. Oddly, Golden Delicious apples can make a very nice sauce, and they’re good to use if kids are your primary audience: They’re pretty mellow, even though they are significantly more flavorful than Reds. Granny Smiths make a nice tart applesauce, though I prefer them in pie.

My favorite apples for applesauce are Jonathans. I also use Jonagolds when I find them. I’ve used Galas many times for applesauce, though they are a touch too sweet for me personally [but delicious for eating raw for that very reason].

Got this recipe last year from my aunt Judy. She is an awesome cook and specializes in things that taste amazing but don’t require much effort.

Orange Ball Candy
1 lb. orange slice candy
7 oz. coconut
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 c. chopped nuts
1 t. orange extract
1 t. vanilla extract

Chop the candy into small pieces. This is actually hard because the candy is so sticky. This year I sprayed my knife with cooking spray and it seemed to help somewhat.

Mix all ingredients. Spread in a 9×13 Pyrex dish. Bake at 275 degrees for 45 minutes. The milk will start to caramelize. Remove from the oven, and stir the candy. Let it cool until you can handle it comfortably.

Drop candy by teaspoonfuls onto a plate of powdered sugar. Roll into balls in the sugar. Place on waxed paper and refrigerate. Once the candy firms up a bit, you can stack in layers, separated by wax paper. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. Not that you’ll be storing it for long.

At work, my friend Barbara and I are in the same CSA — we’ve both been enjoying great produce from Delvin Farms all summer. New this year in the Delvin Farms boxes: Some of the most amazing potatoes I’ve ever eaten.

We were discussing today how we’ve both enjoyed the potatoes but have actually felt a little overwhelmed by them. We’ve gotten about 3 lbs. a week for the past few weeks. I hope they don’t stop sending them anytime soon! But we’ve both felt the need to be creative.

Here’s the potato salad I made last week.

3 lb. potatoes
1 red bell pepper
1/4 c. capers [or less. I LOVE capers.]
1/4 c. dill relish
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 – 1/3 c. brown mustard
1/4 c. tarragon vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel and dice the potatoes. Boil until barely tender. Mushy potatoes will ruin potato salad! Let potatoes cool.

Whisk together mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Dice bell pepper, and mix with mayo, relish, potatoes and capers.

This is a pretty low-sauce potato salad.

So anyway, while we were at Nakanawa, the camp staff was cooking our meals. Traditional, tasty camp fare. At the very first meal, I thought, what the hell. I’ll have some meat. So I did. And I’ve kept doing it.

I haven’t eaten a lot of meat in the past month, but definitely a bit. Recently, I’ve been thinking about some of my favorite meals my mom made when we were growing up. Of course, they all had meat in them, so i haven’t had most of these dishes in a while. Here’s what I made tonight. It doesn’t really have a name.

1 lb. ground beef [or turkey, or a mix]
1 egg
1/2 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T. Worchestershire sauce
1/2 medium onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all well with your hands. Shape into 5 or 6 patties. Cook til done in a large skillet.

1 can cream of celery soup
1 can milk [If soup is condensed. If not, try 1/2 can milk to start.]

Whisk together. Pour over patties and simmer for 10 minutes, until sauce thickens slightly. Serve with rice.

I was very pleased with the tomato sauce I made last night. It was easy and you can make it, too! To complete this dish, I prepared some fettuccine, topped it with the tomato sauce, and added some fresh summer squash that I’d sauteed in butter over high heat. Delicious!

Tomato sauce
1 large onion
1 pt. fresh Roma tomatoes [OK, my pint was overflowing]
1 bell pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried oregano
1 can tomato sauce
1 c. water
3/4 c. wine
1/4 c. capers
4-8 cloves garlic

Submerge the tomatoes momentarily in boiling water then plunge them into ice water. Slip the skins off. [It doesn't take long and is more than worth it.]

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Chop the onion and bell pepper and add to the pot. Stir in spices. Stirring frequently, cook until onion is soft.

Roughly chop tomatoes [into largish-bite-sized chunks] and add to the pot. Stir well and reduce heat to low. Add tomato sauce, water. Let the sauce simmer over low for about an hour.

10 minutes before serving, add wine, capers and garlic.