souper trooper

every once is a while you need a break from sweets... right? or rather... something to eat in between desserts.

when i was in still in college, my good friend marge showed me this soup recipe she learned while living in italy. pappa al pomodoro! it's easy, cheap and delicious- the three most important meal factors to any poor college student. i had not made this soup in a while, but once i had the thought of it in my mind, i was on a mission.

everything you need is in this picture:



1. stock
2. onion
3. garlic
4. basil
5. can of whole peeled tomatoes
6. stale bread
also olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (my preference), parmesan cheese

this soup gets better over time. if it gets dried out just add a little more stock as you warm it up. i also LOVE this soup b/c it gives me something to do with my fancy baguettes from balthazar once they go stale.

this is what is should look like as it's all brewing:




even my little brother had three bowls in one sitting.

let's eat 'till we pass out from tryptophan!

thanksgiving! one of my favorite holidays! i love all the foods and flavors that make up the thanksgiving feast. turkey, gravy, brussels sprouts, cranberry, chestnuts, sweet potato, and mexican pie! mexican pie may just be a tradition at my thanksgiving :) for as long as i can remember, my family has been celebrating thanksgiving with 4 other brooklyn families. we meet up in a lovely brownstone in carroll gardens, we pot luck and each year we look forward to certain signature dishes. our host prepares the bird and a series of delicious apps. i really look forward to the spinach stuffing puffs every year. that and a glass of white wine is breakfast. i hang out with these boys that i used to play soccer with when i was 5 (simon is the gentle giant in the picture below). we still sit at the 'kids table' even though we are all nearly 30... sometimes people sneak outside pre-dinner for herbal assistance...






this year i was on dessert... as always. i couldn't decide between my orange saffron ricotta pound cake OR pumpkin chocolate chip cookies; so i made both!

ricotta pound cake with orange and saffron: follow this recipe, but also soak some saffron in a few tablespoons of boiling water... add this to the wet mixture before you add the dry ingredients. i also add a bit of cardamom and cinnamon to this recipe. i know i say this all the time, but i think changing recipes to fit your personal tastes should be encouraged... painting outside the lines is FUN.

i made cupcake versions of this recipe just to try it out. you should cook them around 20-25 minutes at the recipe's suggested temp.




i also made these AMAZING pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (totally LOVE this baking blog- joy the baker). i am so in lust with these cookies. i never would have thought that chocolate and pumpkin would go together so well, but the combination (especially when the cookies are warm) is all sorts of earthy/rich/sweet goodness.







the desserts were a hit. this is good news, because i might be selling my baked goods at cafe 457 in park slope! i should probably start promoting this blog. fa realz.

gobble gobble gobble x

sprouts! by way of brussels.

you know what my mom never forced me to eat as a kid: brussels sprouts. i have discovered my love for them late in life, but now we are more in love than ever. brussels sprouts and chestnuts are one of the dishes i most look forward to at our annual brooklyn heights thanksgiving. these sprouts were a purchase from alice's farm. since they are organic i soaked them for a good while. i cut off the stems and halved them. i then coated them with the following:

salt
pepper
sweet paprika
lemon juice
olive oil

when it comes to ingredients, i say, season to your taste. i LOVE paprika, and probably put in more than most... then again i was raised on hungarian cooking, so i think i have paprika running through my veins at this point.

i baked it in my lovely le creuset casserole dish, which i got at the cooks companion (i love this place!).

i baked it at 400 (because that's what the mahi mahi from trader joes called for) for 20 minutes (give or take a few).

mmmmmmhmmm! brussels sprouts! where have you been all my life...