Pumpkin, Cheddar and Chipotle Soup

Ingredients

1 sugar pumpkin or small butternut squash or 1 can pumpkin purée
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for roasting pumpkin or squash, plus 1 tablespoon
Salt and pepper
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock, divided
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander, 1/3 palmful
1 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 palmful
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/3 palmful
Honey, for drizzling
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded yellow sharp cheddar cheese
2 small chipotle peppers, seeded and finely chopped, plus 1 rounded tablespoon of adobo sauce
Unsalted crispy yellow or blue corn tortilla chips
Toasted pumpkin seeds, garnish
Unsalted crispy yellow or blue corn tortilla chips
Preparation
If using fresh pumpkin or squash, preheat oven to 425°F. Peel, seed and chop pumpkin or squash, coat with EVOO, salt and pepper, and roast to tender, 45 minutes. If using canned pumpkin purée, skip this step.

Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté carrots and onions to tender, about 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika, a drizzle of honey, salt and pepper to taste. Toast spices, about 1 minute.

Add the carrots and onions along with the roasted pumpkin or squash to the bowl of a food processor and purée with a splash of stock. If using canned pumpkin, purée the onions and carrots together with some stock and stir in the canned pumpkin to combine.

Wipe out the soup pot and return to heat. Melt butter, whisk in flour then milk. Season with salt and pepper, and thicken to coat a spoon. Stir in cheese to melt, add chipotle and adobo sauce. Stir in remaining stock and squash or pumpkin purée. Let simmer to thicken soup.

Place a few crushed tortillas in shallow bowl and top with soup. Mix the tortillas into soup as you eat, garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

Courtesy of Rachel Ray

Cabbage Soup Diet - Tested

I'm going to test out this diet. Here are the basic guidelines, easy right?
Beverages are limited to water, and unsweetened fruit juice on days when fruit is allowed. This is a typical outline of the diet:
Day 1 - Cabbage soup plus as much fruit as you like, excluding bananas
Day 2 - Cabbage soup plus vegetables including 1 jacket (baked) potato with a little butter
Day 3 - Cabbage soup plus fruit and vegetables excluding potatoes and bananas
Day 4 - Cabbage soup plus up to eight bananas and as much skimmed milk as you like
Day 5 - Cabbage soup plus up to 10 ounces of beef and up to six tomatoes
Day 6 - Cabbage soup plus as much beef and vegetables (excluding potatoes) as you like
Day 7 - Cabbage soup plus brown rice, vegetables (excluding potatoes) and unsweetened fruit juice


Today is December 20, 2010. I decided to do this the week before Christmas, for a few reasons. Number one, my new year’s resolution, of losing 20 pounds....not quite there yet. In fact, I'm only half way there, with only 11 days of the year left, it's crunch time. Procrastinator that I am, this is my punishment.


Secondly, my refrigerator is empty.  I'm talking bare bones empty.   I have a bottle of apple juice, condiments, some pumpkin spice creamer, and water.  My thought, perfect time to try this, because I have zero temptation staring at me every time I will blindly open the door to my refrigerator looking for something to save me from cabbage hell.


Lastly, I recently, like most of the female population, read "Eat, Pray, Love". In the book some topics were discussed that I found to be quite interesting. One in particular was will power. Of which I have quite a bit over all, just not when it comes to food, or alcohol. My test for myself falls under this category. Can I "will myself" to follow this strictly. It's only seven days. How hard can it be? Famous last words.


Day 1
8:00am
I made the soup earlier this week, to taste it. I needed to make sure I could actually stand to eat this for seven days. Turns out, I really like it. I made only half a batch because it's a lot of food, and I wanted to have fresh soup at the start of this adventure. I also will be experimenting with the spices. My first batch I used cayenne pepper. A lot of cayenne pepper, and that soup was spicy. But I liked it. I didn't add salt or pepper, just the cayenne pepper.  I cooked all the veggies to be soft, but the cabbage to be a little bit crunchy.  I used whole tomatoes, but they tasted horrible.  I'm not sure if it’s the brand or if canned tomatoes are really that disgusting.  I'm a fresh tomato person.   I purchased diced, organic tomatoes for my next batch.  If that fails I'll modify this recipe and use fresh tomatoes.


 I bought some pre-cut up fruit, which gave me a mix of a bunch of items.  Pineapple, grapes, mangos, blueberries, musk melon, and cantelope.  It costs a bit more to do it that way, but getting such an assortment is worth it.  Trying to buy that many different fruits and eating them all before they go bad, doesn't seem like it would be cost effective either.  Therefore, spending more to have less, appeals to me in this case.


12:36pm
I already cheated.  Not on purpose, completely unconsciously.  I was offered a chocolate chip cookie and I took it.  Didn't even think twice about it.   Not even 5 hours into this diet and I screwed up.  This just goes to show how bad my will power with food is.  I'm not quitting.  Just noting, I cheated.  Shit.


Day 2
9:50 am
Yesterday went better than I expected. I stuck with the diet (mostly) for the rest of the day. I did eat a chocolate covered pretzel (or 10) but who's counting. Ok, the will power needs work, and so far today, it's a fail. Already had three cookies. They were small. I would count them as one big cookie. I don't even like cookies, but yet I can't say no! WTF! Once I get out of the office, it's much easier to stick to the diet. The office is my downfall.


Overall results, aside for the cookie debacle, pretty reasonable. I lost 1.6 pounds. Bringing me down to 146.4. I started at 148 pounds and committed in 2010 to get back down to my early Los Angeles weight of 138 pounds.  I started out at 158, the heaviest I've ever been, and ever will be.  It was horrible.


I did walk to work yesterday, which is 2.1 miles. I also ate a lot of soup. It's very filling, and so far I really like it, which I'm sure helps my cause. I made a new batch last night, and split it in two. I added different spices to each batch. Trying to keep it interesting. I've read reports that by the end of the 7 days the smell of the cabbage soup has made some want to vomit. I don't see that happening for me.


I took about 2 cups last night and blended it in a blender (I added a small dab of truffle butter, again breaking the rules, but only slightly). It tasted amazing. I heated it up and sipped on it while I caught up on back shows of Dollhouse. Yummy, perfect for a cold December evening.


Vegetables today. I have some fresh tomatoes for lunch and my soup. Probably will skip the baked potato for supper, although it sounds delicious.


I suspect day 4 will be the most difficult.  I like banana's but all you can eat banana's, not sure about that one.


Day 3
9:57am
Today is not as successful as yesterday. 147.4 pounds. Gained one pound. Lame. I didn't walk to work yesterday, so maybe that factors in. Therefore, today I walked, again 2.1 miles.


This blend of the soup has less cayenne pepper, which apparently is a metabolism booster. Perhaps that played a factor in my large weight loss on Day 1.


I ate all vegetables; tomatoes, peas and pumpkin. Perhaps those are not good choices. Technically a tomato is a fruit so maybe I cheated inadvertently. Still enjoying the soup.


Fruits and veggies today, let's hope we see some real results tomorrow!


Day 4
1:33 pm
Back down to 146.4 pounds.  I've been here before, so I'm  not that excited.  Banana day is going well.  It's been a long time since I've had a banana, and I've already eaten 3.    Looking forward to weighing in tomorrow and eating beef and tomatoes!   I'm almost out of soup also.  I look forward to eating the soup.  Three more days doesn't bother me at all.  It just so happens beef and vegtable day land on Christmas.  Looks like I planned a little better than I thought!  Nice steak with some baked veggies.  Sounds like a good Christmas meal to me.


I've decided to commit to this diet until I get to 138 pounds.  So if I haven't gotten there by Sunday I'll start the diet over again.   I refuse to go into the new year without making my ONE new year's resolution!  Shit what was I doing all year.  I was gung ho at first, that's when I lost the first ten, then I gave up.  I'm lucky it all stayed off, the way I've been eating since I moved to New York! haha


Day 5
Finally got to eat meat. 10oz is alot. It's 6:53 pm and I've eaten 7oz all day. Around 2pm I was starving. Heated up some cabbage soup, and was full all afternoon. I weighed in at 145.4 pounds this morning. 1 pound less than yesterday and nearly 3 pounds lost since I began on Monday.


Day 6
145 pounds. I ate so much today I have a feeling tomorrow will be a disappointment when I weigh in. I had a 7 oz steak, which I cooked with some truffle butter and a package of fresh mushrooms at about 250 degrees for two hours. Amazing. So juicy and flavorful. Exactly what I wanted. I then took all the drippings, some of the mushrooms, a tiny bit of cream and some baked squash, blended it and made a tasty soup. Finished the day off with a "hobo dinner".  

To make a Hobo Dinner:  Take 5 oz of ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Mix ketchup, chopped up green onions chopped up red peppers, made into a patty. Place the patty on top of a row of sliced red peppers, and surrounded it with carrots. Wrapped it in tinfoil, put it in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

I cheated here and there with the cream and butter. I also had a small container of Edy's fun flavors apple pie ice cream. 5.8 oz, 190 calories. My Christmas Day treat. As you can see very satisfying day of food. The true test will be with the scale tomorrow.

Day 7

143.4 pounds. Amazing. I cannot believe it. I have lost a total of 4.6 pounds in 7 days. I haven't seen 143.4 in over a year. This used to be my "high" weight. If I ate a ton of food one day, occasionally this weight would register...and I'd laugh, because a day or two later, I'd be back down in the high 130's. Boy I miss those days! My body just took care of it all on it's own! Back to soup and Veggies today. I could also have brown rice, but I hate rice, so veggies it is. I made some more soup, the batches I make last about two days. Enough for about 6 - 8 bowls. The batch I made today I tossed in all my left over veggies. Broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, cabbage, diced canned tomatoes and the Lipton soup mix with tiny noodles.


Only 5.4 more pounds to go. Come on Day 7!!


Day 8
Back to the beginning. Soup and Fruit. 144.8 pounds AGAIN! GRRRR! Bought another fruit plate and some orange juice. Blended up some cantaloupe, pineapple, strawberries and orange juice. Made a very nice fresh fruit drink. It's been snowing like crazy so I haven't been able to walk to work. That maybe playing a part in my sudden non-weight loss. I wonder if this new soup has anything to do with this sudden weight loss stoppage.


Day 9
Still 144.8 pounds. At least I haven't gained anything. I cheated in frustration yesterday. I ate a bag of popcorn, and some chocolate cookies. If I would have had more things to cheat with, I would have cheated more. My saving grace was that I have vowed not to restock my refrigerator until I'm back down to 138.  I decided to experiment with the soup. Made a batch with lots of mushrooms (cut in large pieces), cabbage, carrots, celery, green onions, a bottle of salsa, and a package of Lawreys fajita mix.   It tastes like a completely new soup.  It's got a spicy Mexican flair to it.   This opens the doors to all kinds of pre-mixed spice package options for this soup!    Today was veggie day and I baked up a bunch of veggies, with my baked potato, tossed on some butter and garlic.  Yummy.  I honestly don't even feel like I'm depriving myself, because I'm satisfied and full all the time. 


Day 10

Still 144.8 pounds. WTF.  Today was fruit and veggie day.  Ok, now I'm feeling it.  I'm craving meat so badly, it's driving me crazy.  I almost just gave in and got a piece of pizza.  How badly I want a piece of pepperoni pizza!!   Instead, I had the rest of my fruit in a blended drink.  Strawberries, musk melon, pineapple, grapes and oj.  Followed by carrots, red peppers, onions, broccoli, mushrooms and cauliflower tossed in butter and baked.  I only had one bowl of soup today.   The fajita soup is really good.  I highly recommend it.

Day 11

143.8 pounds.  Finally.  Back to ground zero.  I can only go down from here.  I walked to work yesterday and today.  Tomorrow will be the true test.   Walking/working out maybe the key component to the weight loss at this point.   Damn.   Today is banana day.  I'm tempted to make a burger tonight.  It's only a few hours early since tomorrow is beef day.  I'm dying for some meat.  Any meat.  Pork, chicken...mostly beef though.  A hamburger sounds so freaking delicious to me.  BUT banana's it is....

Day 12

Cabbage Soup Diet - Recipe

6 large green onions

2 green peppers
2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
1 bunch celery
1/2 head cabbage
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 or 2 cubes bouillon/stock cubes either chicken or beef (optional)
Salt, pepper, parsley, garlic powder, curry powder or soy sauce to taste (or any other seasoning you like).

Spray a large pot with cooking spray and sauté all vegetables except cabbage and tomatoes until tender.

Add cabbage and about 12 cups (2.83 litres) of water.

Toss in bouillon cubes, soup mix, and seasoning.

Cook until soup reaches desired tenderness.

Add tomatoes.

To keep the recipe interesting you can make a base soup and then add seasoning/herbs each day for different flavours.

Note: There are a number of variations to this recipe.

Christmas Wreaths

This is special for JJ, Merry Christmas, Enjoy!
Ingredients:Yield: 16 wreaths

These are my absolute favorite Christmas treat!  My Aunt Dorthy used to make these every year and I would pretty much eat all of them.  She sent me packages for years after I moved, and then I had the luxury of not sharing.   ;-)   Enjoy!

1/3 cup butter
1 (10 ounce) package regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
1 teaspoon green food coloring
6 cups corn flakes
red cinnamon candies

Directions:Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
1. In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
2. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.
3. Add corn flakes cereal. Stir until well coated
4. Using 1/4 cup dry measure coated with cooking spray, evenly portion warm cereal mixture. Using buttered fingers, quickly shape into individual wreaths. Dot with cinnamon candies.

Pumpkin Enchilada Casserole with Red Chile Sauce and Poblano-Pepita Salsa

This recipe takes a lot of work...but trust me it's worth it!  I used chicken instead of turkey and it was perfect. 




For the Sauce
3 oz. dried California chiles (about 10)
3/4 oz. dried ancho chiles (about 2)
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
Kosher salt

For the Filling
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into small dice
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs. ground cumin
3 cups 1/2-inch-diced peeled, seeded pumpkin
1/2 cup lower-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups diced leftover skinless roast turkey or rotisserie chicken (optional)
Kosher salt

For Assembly
Olive oil
Ten 6-inch corn tortillas
3 cups packed grated Monterey Jack cheese (3/4 lb.)
1 recipe Poblano-Pepita Salsa (see recipe below)
Crema Mexicana or sour cream, for serving


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make the sauce

Stem, seed, and rinse the chiles. Put the chiles, garlic, oregano, and 3 cups water in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chiles and garlic are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. Purée in a blender.


Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until it begins to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully stir in the chile mixture—it will spatter—and bring to a boil. Stir in the sugar and 2 tsp. salt. Keep warm.

Make the Filling

Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over mediumhigh heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until nicely browned, about 11 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin and stir to coat. Lower the heat to medium, add the broth, cover, and simmer until the pumpkin is just tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the turkey (if using) and season to taste with salt. asse mble


Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Brush a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce evenly over the bottom of the dish. Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush lightly with oil. One at a time, heat 5 tortillas until softened and pliable, about 1 minute per side. Arrange the griddled tortillas over the sauce in the pan (you can cut them to fit if necessary). Spread 1/2 cup sauce over the tortillas. Spoon the filling evenly over the sauce and top with 1 cup cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the sauce over the cheese. Heat the remaining tortillas on the griddle. Arrange the tortillas evenly over the sauce, filling, and cheese. Spread the remaining sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle withthe remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese bubbles and the casserole is heated through, 30 to 35 minutes. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving with the salsa and crema.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 500; Fat (g): 24; Fat Calories (kcal): 220; Saturated Fat (g): 10; Protein (g): 30; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 10; Carbohydrates (g): 42; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 1100; Cholesterol (mg): 70; Fiber (g): 7; photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 107, pp. 84
September 2, 2010



Poblano-Pepita Salsa
2 medium poblano chiles
1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted, hulled pepitas (this is the INSIDE seed of the pumpkin seed...tiny green)
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt

Char the chiles over a gas burner or under a broiler until blackened on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic, and cool. Peel, stem, seed, and finely chop the chiles.

Heat a griddle or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tomatillos, turning occasionally, until dark brown in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Coarsely chop the pepitas in a food processor; transfer to a medium bowl. Without washing the food processor, add the tomatillos and process to the consistency of a chunky sauce. Transfer to the bowl with the pepitas. Stir in the chiles, cilantro, and salt to taste.


Make Ahead Tips
The sauce may be made 3 days ahead, the filling 2 days ahead, and the salsa 1 day ahead. Refrigerate separately. Return the salsa to room temperature for serving.
nutrition information (per serving):
Size: per 1/4 cup; Calories (kcal): 35; Fat (g): 1; Fat Calories (kcal): 10; Saturated Fat (g): 0; Protein (g): 1; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 0; Carbohydrates (g): 5; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 0; Sodium (mg): 140; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 2; photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 107, pp. 84
September 2, 2010

Udon-Beef Noodle Bowl

This entrée falls somewhere between a soup and a noodle dish. You can eat it with chopsticks, but be sure to have spoons around to catch the broth.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked udon noodles (thick, round fresh Japanese wheat noodles) or spaghetti

1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-salt beef broth

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake (rice wine) or dry sherry
1 tablespoon honey
Cooking spray
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 4 ounces)

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot

8 ounces top round, thinly sliced

3/4 cup diagonally cut green onions

1 (6-ounce) bag prewashed baby spinach

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.

Place garlic, pepper, and broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Combine soy sauce, sake, and honey in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and carrot; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vegetable mixture to broth mixture. Stir in beef; cook 2 minutes or until beef loses its pink color. Stir in noodles, green onions, and spinach. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories:306 (16% from fat)

Fat:5.6g (sat 1.8g,mono 2g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:22.4g

Carbohydrate:36.6g

Fiber:2.4g

Cholesterol:39mg

Iron:3.4mg

Sodium:707mg

Calcium:59mg

Grilled Mozzarella and Prosciutto Sandwich

The Washington Post, September 22, 2009
Makes 1 sandwich


Ingredients:
2 slices Italian country bread
1 tablespoon salted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into thin slices
1 ounce thinly sliced imported prosciutto di Parma
Handful of arugula leaves, washed and dried (optional)

Directions:
Spread the butter on one side of each slice of bread. Set one slice, buttered side down, on a work surface and arrange the mozzarella slices on it. Top with the prosciutto and arugula. Lay the second slice of bread, buttered side up, on top of the sandwich.

Heat a dry nonstick skillet over medium heat; place the sandwich in the center. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom (this will depend on how hot your burner is and the type of skillet you use; start checking after 2 minutes). Turn over the sandwich and press lightly with a spatula. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Transfer to a plate and cut in half. Serve hot.

Recipe Source:
From cookbook author Domenica Marchetti.
Tested by Domenica Marchetti for The Washington Post.

Nutrition Facts
Information per serving
Calories: 430
% Daily Values*
Total Fat: 30g 46
Saturated Fat: 17g 85
Cholesterol: 86mg 29
Sodium: 1115mg 46
Total Carbohydrates: 20g 7
Dietary Fiber: 1g 4
Sugar: n/a
Protein: 22g
*Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Total Fat: Less than 65g
Saturated Fat: Less than 20g
Cholesterol: Less than 300mg
Sodium: Less than 2,400mg
Total Carbohydrates: 300g
Dietary Fiber: 25g

16 Tips For The Perfect Burger

 

1. Don't Push Down on the Meat
Consider this the cardinal rule of cooking burgers. "It squeezes out the juices, and the juices are the flavor," says Jeff Weinstein, founder and owner of the Counter burger restaurants. "Would you rather have a juicy product that took an extra minute or a non-juicy product that came a little faster?"

2. Buy Good Meat
Weinstein likes to have his butcher custom grind his meat -- he asks for a sirloin steak or rib-eye with a meat-to-fat ratio between 75-25 and 80-20. Even if you just go to your supermarket's meat section, don't fall for the trap so many people do, assuming the leanest meat is the best. "It'll be cardboard by the time you're done."

3. Chill the Meat First
Before you even form the patties, put the meat in the fridge for a half hour or so. You don't want your body heat to melt away the fat as you shape it; getting it colder helps it withstand the treatment. Weinstein even washes his hands in cold water before working with it to reduce their temperature.

4. Use a Scale
Unless you want people griping about unequal treatment, or you have a practiced eye for meat, use a scale to balance even amounts in each burger. Even Weinstein does.

5. Don't Overwork the Meat
People tend to ball up the meat as they form their patties. Don't do that; less handling is better. The more you push down and compress, the tougher the meat will be.

6. Use Both Hands to Form the Perfect Patty
Pull the meat apart into equal pieces, then pat down into a patty on a hard surface with one hand while forming the rough edge with the other. Resist the urge to slam down! Some people use the caps of big mayonnaise jars instead, which is fine. Weinstein prefers a thickness of 3/4 of an inch to an inch.

7. Dimple the Patty
When beef patties cook, they contract, and can leave you with a rounded, uneven burger. Push a little well into the center of the meat, about an inch or two around and a quarter-inch deep. The burger will be perfectly flat when they're finished cooking.

8. Back in the Fridge
After you've formed your patties, put them back in the fridge to cool down again for 30 to 45 minutes.

9. Use the Right Buns
Too many people put all their efforts into the meat without remembering that the bun forms more than half the burger. Try for a meat-to-bun ratio of 1:1. Buns about 4 inches to 4-1/2 inches round are generally good. You don't want a super-thick burger overhanging the buns -- but rather to get a taste of every element -- meat, bun, toppings -- in every bite.

10. Get the Grill Really Hot
"The hotter the better," Weinstein says. "You're trying to sear or char the meat really quickly so you have nice color on the outside and flavor from the barbecue on it." Weinstein likes to put wood chips in his grill for added smoke flavor.

11. Be Generous With the Salt and Pepper
Add the spices just before it goes on the grill, and don't be sparing. Weinstein says he doesn't like to add salt before this stage because he doesn't want the salt drying the burger out.

12. Put It on and Leave It Alone
Place the burger on the grill well-side up, then leave it alone. "The biggest mistake people make is pushing the burger around because they want to look like a grill master," Weinstein says. "Stick it down and leave it. You want to touch the burger three to four times at most. You'll know if you have a sear if it comes right off. If it sticks to the grill, you haven't let it sear long enough."

13. Get a Nice Criss-Cross Pattern
Here's the secret to that nice pattern people love so much: After you get the first sear, do a quarter turn, leave it alone for a little longer -- a total of 5 to 6 minutes for that first side. Then flip it, cooked-side down, leave it another three to four minutes, then do another quarter turn, let it get its marking, then take it off the grill.

14. Put on the Cheese Before It Leaves the Grill
Add cheese after your last flip or turn, while the burger's still on the grill. It'll start to melt slightly and be nicely oozing by the time it gets to the table.

15. Rest the Meat
After you take it off the heat, let the burger rest and redistribute its juices --for two to three minutes -- just like you would any steak. This way it won't immediately lose its juices at the first bite.

16. Have Plenty of Toppings on Hand
Everyone's got a different idea about what tops the perfect burger. Besides the standards -- lettuce, tomatoes, pickles -- try at least five or six other, less common options. Consider pepperoncini, jalapenos, or dried cranberries and break out of the American-cheddar-Swiss triumvirate of cheeses. Think havarti, Manchego or brie.

By Michael Park

Lelabar

422 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014-3999
http://www.lelabar.com/

I have been to so many wonderful restaurants since I got to NYC, I'm far behind on my posting!

Lelabar, by far has been the most memorable. This is first and far most a wine bar, with a great selection. Gewurztraminer is sold by the 1/2 bottle, which pretty much made my night.  They have a very wide selection of meat and cheeses, I'll have to go back to test these out, it really is an impressive list.  Also it is set up with the option for purchasing 2 items for $12, 3 for $16 and 4 for $20, so you can mix and match all the cheese an meat as you please.  Really enjoyed this concept and am looking forward to this next time.

However, the surprise of the night, and by far my new favorite dish on earth, came from their small bites menu, a sweet corn polenta, with truffle oil and truffles on top. It is served in a tiny skillet, and could not be more amazing! They give you a tiny tasting spoon, which is perfect because there is so much flavor, and it's so yummy if you had a large spoon it would be a waste, the dish would be gone in a few scoops. The small spoon forces you to enjoy every bite. Great texture, creamier than normal polenta, bits of sweet corn in the mixture, black truffles sprinkled throughout (although I'm told normally they serve it with white, but were out). I could live on this stuff!

Another great item was their watermelon salad, which was chopped up watermelon, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil with fresh mint and Bulgarian feta crumbled on top. A nice big heaping pile, all the colors made it look beautiful. Delicious. This is a dish I will probably make for myself at home, quite easy and very creative.


I highly recommend checking this place out. They have a jazz band and wine tastings on Sundays.  Plus a $1 Oyster special (if you are into that) and happy hours daily.

Pluto's Restaurant

3258 Scott Street
San Francisco , CA 94123
(415) 775-8867

Cute little "fast food" type restaurant. There appear to be a number of locations; I visited the one on Chestnut, in San Francisco. They serve beer and wine here, so I guess "fast food" would not be exactly the right description, but it's not "sit and serve" dinning either. There are little paper menu’s you scout over and then order to a cook/prep line who either puts everything together for you on a plate, or in a "to go container".

You have a number of choices here, either the "make your own salad", which is what I had; "sandwiches", "meat" and "sides". Everything is fairly affordable. The side salad which is quite large and comes with a nice size piece of bread was $5.15. You can also get a main salad, a side salad with a choice of meat or a main salad with choice of meat. Each moving up in price slightly. I believe the side salad with a choice of meat was about $1.00 more, so $6.15.

Not much to say about the salad, can’t really blame anyone if your salad tastes like crap at a “make your own salad” bar. Basically, you get your choice of lettuce and 7 additional items to go with it. Then finally your choice of dressing, I choose the Low Fat Yogurt Based Honey Mustard – yummy!

I also decided to get two sides, I couldn't resist the "smashed spuds of the day" and the "mushrooms of the moment". The spuds came with choice of turkey gravy or beef gravy. This is a very health conscious and "organic" type restaurant, so you have to keep that in mind. The potatoes were good, but a little dry, I ordered the beef gravy and it saved them from not being edible. As for the mushrooms, I'm not sure what the sauce was on them, but it wasn't for me. The mushrooms themselves were delightful, great texture, nice size, a bit larger than a quarter, not over cooked, soft but not mushy, and crisp, but not crunchy. Very nice. However, the sauce ruined them for me. It seemed like the mushrooms were made with their own gravy or sauce whatever you want to call it, with no additional seasonings at all. No salt, no garlic, no onion, just mushrooms a thickening agent and that was it...they had a very flat organic taste to me, some people like this, not me.

http://www.plutosfreshfood.com/index.html

DRAGO Centro

525 South Flower Street, Suite #120, Los Angeles, CA 90071
tel: 213-228-8998

Now, I need to preface this by saying, I'm biased to this restaurant.
With that said, best food in Los Angeles.
If you get a chance to go here, be adventuresome, this is a unique menu.
Take advantage of this opportunity and expand your taste buds.
You will not be disappointed.

The items below are some of my favorites, with the pappardelle and the garganelli being probably my favorite dishes on the planet right now.

La Panzanella Di Bietole (17)
market beets, focaccia croutons, baby spinach, goat cheese

Beet salad, need I say more. You will need to be more surprised if I put a beet salad on this blog and say it's wretched, than see one up here I love. I have yet to meet a beet salad I didn't like, and I order every single one I come across. This one does not disappoint, as usual. The majority of the salad is spinach, you've got your goat cheese on top only one dollop, and then a few slices of red beets. The croutons, house made, are greasy/buttery, a bit oversized and very crunchy. I personally like them very much. Very strong flavor, and since the salad is mostly spinach crushing that puppy up and spreading it around with each bite works wonders.

Le Pappardelle Al Fagiano (lunch 14/ dinner 21)
pappardelle, roasted pheasant, morel mushrooms

I can not even begin to tell you how delightful this dish is. Fresh wide pappardelle (all the pasta is made in house) with a thick brown creamy sauce. Pieces of torn off pheasant lightly strewn about. These are not cut "strips" or "cubes", this is straight from the pheasant, pulled off the bone and put in this dish in small bite size pieces. Lovely. Just enough mushrooms to give you a new texture and taste here and there, but not enough to even remember they are present. Works divinely.

I Garganelli (lunch 13/ dinner 19)
garganelli, pork sausage, parmesan, fennel seeds

Twisty garganelli noodles that have plenty of space to tuck all the sauce into each bite. (My favorite mac and cheese are the spirals for the same reason...they seem to hold secret pockets of cheese unparalleled to their hollow counterparts.) Fennel seeds give a burst of flavor and a small crunch with each piece of sausage. The pasta and the sausage are matched perfectly. There is more sausage then you would probably think, but it's perfect. No need to take a single bite of the pasta without plenty of sausage to go around. Don't get me wrong, this is not a sausage dish with some pasta, it really is a harmonic balance. Melted on top, in a very small dose you'll find the parmesan. Not even necessary with all the fantastic flavors, but certainly adds to this meal. This dish visually looks small, don't fool yourself, it's very filling. Do not pass it up!


http://www.dragocentro.com/

Jovino

2184 Union St (At Fillmore St)
San Francisco

(415) 563-1853

Plenty of outdoor seating is a nice feature on sunny days.

Wi-Fi here is free.

Cuisine:
Traditional American

Buchanan Beet ($8)
Roasted beets, arugula, mixed greens, goat cheese, candied walnuts & tangerine vinaigrette

I ordered the small salad for ($8.) It was quite large actually. The large salad ($12) could probably feed me for two days.

I'm a sucker for beet salads, so I may not be the best person to consult for this item. This salad had both the golden beets and the red beets, in small cubes with globs of goat cheese splashed in. The perfect amount of everything, enough that you can get a bite of the good stuff (beets, candied walnuts or cheese, or all of them in one bite) with each splash of the arugula. The goat cheese was great too; there were no extra herbs or spices in the cheese itself. It seems to me there are some goat cheeses that have too much of an overpowering flavor, this one was very subtle, and smooth, very spreadable. The salad also had a light dressing, and by light I mean light, just the way it should be, not dripping off your arugula or drowning your salad. Just enough to give the lettuce a little more flavor than it has on its own, you barely know it's there, which is exactly how it should be when you have a salad like this with so many full flavored ingredients.

Quinoa Salad with cucumber, grape tomatoes, feta cheese

This, excuse my language, was fucking amazing. I can't believe I've gone my whole life without having quinoa. I didn't even know how to pronounce quinoa. Which by the way, the pronunciation is: \ˈkēn-ˌwä\ or keen-wah, I have no idea if it tastes this good all the time every time, or if this is a one time deal. A little history about Quinoa, it's been eaten for over 6,000 years. So yes, I am far behind the times here. It's actually an editable seed. And, delicious I might add to that edible.

This salad had what tasted like a balsamic dressing on it, the salad was moist. Not dripping wet, but moist. The quinoa was crunchy. Like I said never had it before, so I don't know if it's usually served crunchy or can be soft, but it was great crunchy. It reminded me of caviar, which I would never eat, but it was like a vegetable caviar. Little, tiny, beady, crunchy pops of yumminess. I could have just had a plate full of this stuff with the dressing, screw the cucumbers and cheese...although they were an added bonus to each scrumptiously lucky bite that managed to find them hidden inside it.

Portabello Mushroom On Toasted Ciabatta with hummus, cucumber and sprouts ($9)
Served With Your Choice Of Quinoa Salad, Mixed Greens Or Kettle Chips

I had the kettle chips with this sandwich. The kettle chips were typical, yummy, and extra crunchy. Lots of them. I expected the mushroom to be warm (for some reason) so my expectations tainted my experience. I've had amazing portabella mushrooms, which could easily rival a good steak, so I think I was expecting that. A very flavorful mushroom with some toppings on some bread. What I got was very flavorful hummus sauce, and flavorful bread, with a less flavorful mushroom. The cucumbers where a nice addition, I liked the crunchy feeling of the cucumbers with the less firm feeling of the cold mushroom. The sandwich it self was a bit small. But I guess that's to be expected with a mushroom as the "burger". The bread was tasty, but reminded me more of a sourdough than a ciabatta. But what do I know. It was tough on the outside, soft in the middle, kind of sour (maybe that was from the hummus sauce??), with a floury coating, and shaped like little buns. I don't usually think of ciabatta that way, but again what do I know. There was a lot of bread compared to my little mushrooms; I ended up having to pull some of it off because there was just too much bread and not enough innards to go around. Kinda like the hotdog not fitting in the bun. Overall it was a decent sandwich, had I not come to the table with expectations like I did, perhaps I would have loved it. Compared to other items on the menu, not for me.

Tri-Tip Sandwich On Toasted Baguette ($11)
Served With Your Choice Of Quinoa Salad, Mixed Greens Or Kettle Chips

This sandwich surpassed anything and everything I could have wished. It was heavenly. Of course it helped that this was also where I was introduced to the quinoa salad, as this was my choice of side. No need to discuss that see my review above. This sandwich was first of all HUGE. I'm from Minnesota and I grew up on meat and potatoes and I like to pride myself on knowing and appreciating good red meat. This was divine. The meat had so much wonderful flavor, I wanted to strip it out of the bun and eat it on its own. I actually did with one half of the sandwich. There was enough meat on that sandwich; it could have been a meal on its own. I'm not entirely sure what kind of "sauce" was on this sandwich, it had a sour flavor to it, maybe a mustard sauce of some sort, whatever it was, and I'll be happy to go down and have another one of these puppies to figure it out, it was perfect. There was also what looked like cream cheese, well, it had the texture of cream cheese anyway. I actually think it was a goat cheese of some sort, because it didn't taste like cream cheese. There was mixed greens on the salad also, and what reminded me of a pico de gallo salsa. Chopped tomatoes, onions, and maybe even cilantro.  That was tasty too, as it spilled out of my sandwich, I just topped it on my tri-tip and kept on eating.   I really needed to pay more attention, but I was so distracted by my surprise at how scrumptious it was I forgot to take notes.

Here's their website, but clearly they need to update it since the last post was during the superbowl:
http://jovinosf.com/
I'm not a huge fan of their website.
When I go to a website, I want pictures of food, an easy to find address, and maybe a phone number. None of that stuff on this website.

Fiery Hot Texas T-Bones with Chipotle Smashed Potatoes and Hot and Sweet Pepper Saute

3 whole jalapenos
3 bell peppers, choose 3 different colors
2 1/2 pounds small potatoes, such as baby Yukon gold or small red skin potatoes, coarsely chopped
Salt
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons chipotle powder, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon dark chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
2 large T-Bone steaks 1 1/2 inches thick, 2 1/2 pounds total
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan, divided
1/4 cup bourbon, eyeball it

Seed and slice the hot and sweet fresh peppers and reserve.

Cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to boiling water. Cook potatoes until tender, 10-12 minutes. Chop and brown bacon in a small skillet and add a tablespoon of chipotle powder and onions. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat until onions are tender. When potatoes are tender, drain and return to hot pot. Add bacon mixture and sour cream to the potatoes. Smash potatoes and season with salt, to taste.

While potatoes are working, combine dry spice rub: chili powder, remaining chipotle powder, cumin and grill seasoning. Rub steaks liberally on both sides with the mixture. Heat a 12 to14-inch skillet screaming hot. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. It will smoke. Add steaks and do not turn for 6 minutes. Flip and cook another 6 minutes for medium rare, up to 10 minutes for well done. Remove skillet from flame and add bourbon. Return steaks to stove and flame the pan. When the fire goes out, transfer the meat to a large serving platter and pour pan juices over the top. Let meat rest for juices to redistribute. Return pan to heat and add remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to the skillet. Add hot and sweet peppers to the pan and saute them for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pile peppers alongside steaks.

Remove meat from the T bones and cut into 4 portions. Top with some peppers and pile some chipotle smashers along side. Spoon drippings and juices over meat and serve.

Courtesy Rachael Ray

Cast Iron Home Fries

Ingredients
2 pounds new red potatoes, cooked until tender and halved
1 Spanish onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 jalapeno chiles
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
Heat grill to high. Brush potatoes halves, onion slices, peppers, and chiles with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill potatoes and onions for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until just cooked through and slightly charred. Remove from heat, cut each potato half in half again, and finely chop the onions.

Grill peppers and chiles until charred on all sides. Remove from the grill, place in a bowl, cover, and let steam for 5 minutes. Remove skin and finely dice.

Melt butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet on the grates of the grill. Add the potatoes, onions, peppers, and chiles all in 1 layer and pack down. Cook until crisp and nicely browned.

Courtesy of Bobby Flay

Grilled Sausage and Egg Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients
Grilled Southwestern-style Sausage:
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons chile de arbol
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons finely chopped Mexican oregano
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves
Scrambled Eggs:
12 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sandwiches:
4 bagels, split
4 slices Monterey jack cheese
Directions
Sausage:

Heat grill to medium. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, being careful not to overmix. Divide the sausage mixture into 8 (4-ounce) patties. Grill until cooked completely through, about 4 minutes per side.

Eggs:

Heat grill to medium. Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, and chives in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet on the grates of the grill. Add the eggs and stir until soft curds form. Remove from the heat.

Assemble:

Place bagels, cut side down, on the grill and toast until lightly golden brown, about 45 to 60 seconds. Remove the bagel tops from the grill. Turn the bagel bottoms over and top each with a slice of cheese and let melt, about 30 seconds. Top the cheese with a sausage patty and then divide the eggs among the patties. Top with the bagel tops, close the cover and just let heat through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Courtesy Bobby Flay

Spicy Citrus Bloody Mary

Ingredients
2 to 3 cups ice
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon horseradish, drained
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Pinch salt
2 cups vodka
3 cups tomato juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Muddle ice, lemon wedges, lime wedges, horseradish, jalapeno, and salt in the bottom of a pitcher. Add vodka, tomato juice, and Worcestershire and stir to combine. Refrigerate if not serving immediately, or pour into glasses over ice and serve.

Courtesy Bobby Flay

Mac 'N Cheese with Bacon and Cheese

Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
4 cups milk
2 or 3 sprigs thyme
4 cloves garlic, smashed and divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Leaves from 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
Directions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small saucepan heat the milk with the thyme sprigs and 2 garlic cloves. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Strain the solids out of the milk and whisk it into the butter and flour mixture. Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth. Stir in the 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked macaroni and the parsley and fold that all in to coat the macaroni with the cheese mixture. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

While that bakes, heat a saute pan. Add the bacon, render the fat and cook until crispy. Add onion, garlic and thyme leaves and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, scatter the bacon mixture over the mac and cheese. Use a big spoon to scoop out servings, making sure you get some of the smoking bacon mixture on each spoonful.

Courtesy Tyler Florence

Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 small yellow onions, sliced
Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later). Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.

Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.

Courtesy Tyler Florence

BISON AND RED WINE SHEPHERD'S PIE

Filling:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 pound bison or beef short ribs (or 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 2-inch cubes)
1/3 pound rindless slab bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 tbls (or more) olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup peeled chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups dry red wine (such as Syrah)
2 2/3 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
10 ounces pearl onions
1 1/2 cups 3/4 inch cubes peeled parsnips
12 baby turnips, trimmed peeled

Mashed potato crust:
2 to 2 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, quartered
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Garnish:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Filling:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl.
Add bison; toss.
Heat large pot over medium heat.
Add bacon; cook until crisp.
Transfer to paper towels.
Add 2 tablespoons oil to pot; increase heat to medium high.
Work in batches, cook bison until browned, adding more oil by tablespoonfuls as needed.
Return to same bowl.
Add chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to pot; cover and cook until vegetables soften, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Add wine; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits.
Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, sage, reserved bacon, and bison.
Reduce heat to low.
Cover; simmer until bison is tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours (beef may take 1 1/2 hours)

Meanwhile, cook pearl onions in large saucepan of boiling salted water 2 minutes.
Transfer to bowl of ice water; trim and peel.
Transfer bison to rimmed baking sheet.
Cut meat off bones; cut meat into 3/4 inch cubes.
Add parsnips and turnips to pot with bison sauce.
Simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add pearl onions; cook 5 minutes.
Return meat to pot.
Season with salt and pepper.

Mashed-Potato Crust:
Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling lightly salted water until tender, 18 to 20 minutes.
Drain.
Heat milk, butter and cream in medium saucepan until almost boiling.
Rice potatoes into large mixing bowl; add milk mixture, 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and shish until smooth and slightly cooled, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in egg.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spoon bison filling into 3-quart (13x9x2 inch) baking dish.
Spoon mashed potatoes over; smooth top to cover completely.

Garnish:
Beat egg and 1 tablespoon water to blend.
Brush over potatoes, then sprinkle cheese all over

Bake pie until tip is browned and filling is heated through, 30 to 40 minutes (50 to 60 minutes if chilled).

Let rest 10 minutes.

What to drink:
Try a full-bodied red wine.

Courtesy of bon appétit

SMASHING PUMPKIN MARTINI

MY FAVORITE ALL TIME BAND...gotta love this drink!

This spicy, pumpkin-infused cocktail would make a delightful aperitif from Halloween through Christmas. It was created by Felix Albano, manager of the bar at Fifty Seven Fifty Seven in New York City.

3 ounces spiced pumpkin vodka
1 ounce Amaretto
Garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds
For pumpkin seeds: Heat a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot. Toast pumpkin seeds, stirring constantly, until they expand and begin to pop, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to a plate to cool.

For Martini: In a shaker filled with ice, stir spiced pumpkin vodka and Amaretto. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serves 1.

SPICED PUMPKIN VODKA

Try this pumpkin-infused vodka in the Smashing Pumpkin Martini, or use it to invent a holiday cocktail of your own.

The bar at Fifty Seven Fifty Seven in New York City, where it was created, uses a liter-sized bottle to hold the vodka-pumpkin mixture while it steeps.

1/2 cups (350 ml) cinnamon vodka
3/4 cup (175 ml) vanilla vodka
3/4 cup (175 ml) vodka
2 whole vanilla beans
2 cups raw pumpkin meat, cut into 1/4-inch slices
Combine vodkas in bottle or other glass container. Add pumpkin meat and vanilla beans and let sit for 1 week. If necessary, when mixing cocktails strain the vodka as you pour it into the shaker. Consider using toasted pumpkin seeds or some of the vodka-soaked pumpkin as garnish.

Fills a one-liter bottle (a scant quart).