I was flattered to have been invited to the Chautauqua Club a few weeks ago to provide their entertainment for the evening. Adrienne thought it would be fun to give this group of moms ideas about cooking quick and healthy meals during the week when there is no time to spare. I had plenty of tricks up my sleeve to share and enjoyed visiting with this group of women. My favorite take home tip from them? Tonya uses her leftover roast in gumbo. Can’t wait to try that tip. I bet brisket would be equally rich and delicious.

This was my first live cooking demo. Most of my cooking is done in my home kitchen with a toddler underfoot and a baby nearby. I am not a big talker like my mom and my sister, so I was surprised when I had little trouble keeping the conversation going as I cooked the meals I planned. I get so psyched about giving someone else the secrets I have learned to get supper on the table. It thrills me to be able to cook once then stretch the ingredients into two additional meals with less time in the kitchen. And less cleanup! I rarely ever have as much time as I would like to have for preparing meals. It’s amazing when you begin to look at recipes thinking about planned leftovers. The possibilities are endless. In fact they swirl around my brain at random times after I have read the latest issue of Food Network Magazine or Southern Living.

So, back to the demo. Before the hostess’ guests arrived, I began setting up my presentation area. I prepped most of the ingredients at home and brought them in what seemed like a million plastic containers. I wasn’t sure what kind of time frame I was working with and certainly did not want to bore the guests. I brought a chicken to roast while I was beginning the demo, so I asked Tiphanie, the hostess, how to set her oven timer. Fine Dacor oven, by the way. Tiphanie said, “Timer? What timer?” I was so tickled that she had never used the timer on her oven. I use mine daily…but then again, I would incinerate everything if I relied on my own sense of timing!

At the end of the evening, Ashley served up this homemade gingerbread that filled the kitchen with the spicy aroma of autumn. It was so perfectly light and fluffy I had to ask for the recipe to share with you! Ashley had fresh whipped cream to dollop on each serving. Instead of whipped cream for the topping, I whipped up some Cinnamon Orange Buttercream Glaze to top ours off. Sweet ending to a wonderful evening.

Homemade Gingerbread

1 box light brown sugar (2 1/4 C)
2 C. flour
1 1/2 sticks of butter (soften at room temp)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
2 eggs (unbeaten)
1 C buttermilk

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour and mix until crumbly. Set aside 3/4 C of mixture. Add baking soda, spices and eggs. Lightly stir in buttermilk.  Pour in greased and floured 9×13 pan.  Sprinkle the reserved 3/4 c mixture on top. Bake for 35 min. at 350 degrees. Serve with whipped cream or Cinnamon Orange Buttercream Glaze.

Cinnamon Orange Buttercream Glaze

1/2 c butter, softened at room temp

1/4 c freshly squeezed orange juice

1 t orange zest

1/2 t cinnamon

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

Mix together all ingredients except powdered sugar. Add powdered sugar 1/2 c at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Donnie and I love to go–just about anywhere. Jack has inherited that trait, but Brett hates to ride. Jack will ask, “You wanna go ‘wide’ for a ‘wittle’ bit?” (I will be so sad when his r’s and l’s sound like r’s and l’s instead of w’s!) Brett just screams the entire time. And I mean that hungry cry scream. His tongue vibrates in his mouth and you can see the back of his throat. You know the cry if you have a child. We don’t go as much as we used to for obvious reasons.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas is one of our favorite weekend getaways. We used to make the jaunt a few times a year. It’s about a 9-hour drive from here. Depending on our work schedules we would sometimes leave on Saturday morning or split the drive between Friday evening and Saturday morning.

One particular November weekend we decided to drive to Little Rock on Friday and spend the night. One of my favorite parts of traveling (besides eating) is planning the trip. I know…most people are appalled when I reveal this strange affinity. Our trip to Boston gave me the ultimate planning rush–navigating the subway system and ensuring we visited all the historic landmarks on the Freedom Trail. Europe was a blast, too, although a little more stressful due to the language barrier. On a required planning scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most labor-intensive, Eureka Springs is a stretch at 2. There’s just not a lot to do there–which is the point for a relaxing weekend. I did go online to find a good deal for our Friday night stay. Doubletree Hotel happened to be the winner at just over $50 a night. (Don’t you love getting a steal?)

Knowing what  I know now, though, I would have paid big bucks to stay at a Doubletree Hotel just to get my hands on these warm and gooey crispy-edged cookies. It’s a marketing ploy, and we actually prefer staying in B&B’s. Oh, but these walnut-studded chewy AND crispy discs of heaven…

This recipe is a result of many trials and errors, combinations of recipes and many late chocolate chunk-laden nights.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Walnuts

1/2 c butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 c flour

1 1/4 c oatmeal, whirled in food processor until finely ground

1/4 t salt

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chunks

1 c chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture in half-cup increments, incorporating into wet mixture before each addition. Stir in chocolate chunks and walnuts. Roll into small balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Coffee. Ice cream. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will fill you in anyway. I am sure my recent coffee obsession stems from the sleep deprivation that comes along with a newborn. I think it is probably a subconscious choice that I am gravitating toward heavily caffeinated sweets. The Starbucks trips are, however, conscious decisions. I know what I am doing when I pull up to that window. In fact Donnie and I both had a Frappuccino today. I had a doctor’s appointment, and Donnie and Brett tagged along. We decided to drop by Fivebucks for a roadtrip treat. We like their Toffee Almond Bars, too, but they had none this morning. We pull up to the window and the barista tells us that the driver of the car in front of us, a Mini Cooper we had been analyzing for clues about this person’s agenda for the day, has paid for our treats! She asks if we would like to pay for the car behind us. “Sure!” we say, and she tells us that this Pay It Forward chain has been unbroken for half an hour. What a fabulous idea! I mean, the first person could have just done one good deed–for the car behind him or her. But someone had the forethought to ask that the good deed be continued. As Donnie and I were marveling at the do-gooder’s thoughtfulness, we realized we should have dropped a tenspot at Fivebucks to pay for the person behind the eventual party pooper to keep it alive even longer. I am sure someone that drove through Starbucks really needed a pick me up today. They were bolstered by a shot of caffeine and a good work!

Ok. Back to my good work. And it was a lot of work for a teeny little quart of ice cream. But, oh so worth the trouble! Especially last week when the temperature was in the 100s. And the Louisiana humidity is already at its summer best. The silky mouth feel of this homemade ice cream reminds me of gelato. And gelato will forever remind me of our backpacking trip to Europe. We walked miles and miles and miles across Europe for 14 days straight without managing to lose a pound. “How?” you ask? Gelato. Every night.

This slippery smooth summer treat feels exquisite rolling around on your tongue and sliding down your throat. Somehow it still manages to make you feel warm and toasty inside with its orange cinnamon flavor combination. Its creamy texture is to-die-for delicious. Takes me back to those carefree balmy nights in Rome admiring Bernini’s fabulous fountains.

Here is the recipe as it appeared in the April 2008 issue of O Magazine. Incidentally the author of this recipe also authored one of my favorite cookbooks, Dishing With Style.

“Why did you make these?” Donnie asked as I offered him a taste. “I don’t know.” It sounded different, I have a huge rosemary plant and I like to try new recipes and wacky flavor combinations. “They are actually really tasty.” I know. I didn’t tell him that a few had already disappeared. I have thoroughly enjoyed my herbs this year. Didn’t get around to planting my vegetable garden as I hoped, but the herbs are thriving. I have cut dozens of sprigs of lemon thyme and mint for my iced tea, tucked oregano in won-ton ravioli pockets, whirred the basil in my food processor for several batches of pesto, and chopped dill for potato salad made with new potatoes from Mom and Dad’s garden. The rosemary plant was a gift from Mom, and I have put it to good use since she revived it.

About a year ago, I discovered the Times-Picayune recipe archive. We all know Louisiana for its love affair with food. New Orleans is synonymous with culinary at its finest. Why wouldn’t I be able to find a treasure trove of recipes here? I could spend hours browsing. Better than a library or a bookstore because I can browse in my PJ’s. And drool. That would be noticeable in a public place.

This fun little finger food would shine with drinks before a meal. Makes for a good conversation starter, too. You combined rosemary and sugar? Why? Taste them. You’ll see.

Tuscan Rosemary and Pine Nut Bars

Makes 16 squares

¼ cup pine nuts

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in 10 pieces

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried

1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Meanwhile, spread pine nuts on baking sheet and place in the oven. Toast, stirring once or twice to prevent burning, until they are a shade darker and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Watch carefully; pine nuts burn easily. Remove from baking sheet and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat and stir in the powdered sugar, rosemary and pine nuts. Then stir in the flour to make a stiff dough.

Spread dough evenly into an ungreased 8-inch-square baking pan. Bake until bars are golden and firm at the edges, about 20 minutes. Cool pan on a rack for about 2 minutes, and use a sharp knife to cut into 16 squares. Let bars cool in pan at least 10 minutes before removing them with a small spatula.

The bars can be stored, tightly covered, for up to five days, or frozen for up to one month.