In the Kitchen: December edition
forever mantra: good food is often not very fancy
I’m trying on brevity for a change (ha!) so let’s see how this goes as I cut directly to the chase-
Everyone is soul-tired and we need to sustain. This year I’m still participating in holiday gatherings and hosting dinners but what I’m not doing is-
too much
everything
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of things I’ve been making, craving, and eating over the last month, complete with unaesthetic photos that were mostly taken on a whim while guests ate and laughed or in my underwear under shitty lightning just like the lord intended.
All of this can be made for hosting or for eating in bed while watching garbage tv (we do both!) and I encourage you to do the same.
Marinated Olives
marinating your own olives is far superior to purchasing the plastic container with weird bits of soggy feta and drowning in cheap olive oil. It takes less than 5 minutes to prep and every time I make them they are the first to disappear from any spread. Seriously, make them to add to your next *board* or make them to eat while you prep your main, or eat them in bed off a paper plate while drinking champagne. We contain multitudes.
Grab a small saucepan and set in on the burner set to low. Add some olive oil, about 4 Tbsp, and then let your creativity take the lead. I am a lover of all things sour and citrus so I typically add a few thick slices of lemon peel, 3 cloves of sliced garlic, whatever spices I feel like adding- a bit of thyme, red pepper flake, and oregano, and leave it on the stove top just until it begins to warm and smells fragrant. Pull from the heat and add a few splashes of vinegar or lemon juice (I used red wine vinegar and a squeeze of lemon) and then pour over a couple handfuls of whatever olives you choose- I typically do castelvetrano and garlic-stuffed olives. Let it sit at room temp for a couple hours and then whack it in the fridge, preferably overnight, but at least 4 hours before serving. I like a room temperature olive so I typically pull them from the fridge an hour or two before serving.
Try other spices, flavored olive oil, different vinegars, roasted garlic, or with sliced fresnos.
Savory Galette
This one had delicata squash from our garden with herbed goat cheese and parm. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- galettes are a banger whether they are savory or sweet, are super easy, and always seem to impress. I served this one with an arugula salad- I sliced a clove of garlic and rubbed down my serving bowl with it, added the arugula, a bunch of lemon and lemon zest, the good olive oil, salt, pepper, and freshly grated parm. Here’s a crust recipe from my micro bakery Butter Moon Bake Co but if you choose to use store bought I support your decision because #WeRTired
about half a medium squash such as delicata or butternut, peeled and sliced very thin
2 shallots, sliced very thin
6 ounces goat cheese, room temp
a handful of whatever herbs- I used chives and parsley
freshly grated parm
olive oil
salt
pepper
make sure the goat cheese is room temp- this helps in spreading it across the crust. Mash it with the back of a fork and then add salt, pepper, fresh herbs, a squeeze off lemon, a couple pinches of parm, and a generous glug of olive oil
Add the squash and shallot to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and whatever else you might be inspired by- this time I used a combination of smoked paprika and smoked grey salt because I had it from a trip to Santa Fe, NM and why not? I also added a bit of fresh thyme that I grew and brought inside in its ginormous, unaesthetic outdoor pot.
Take your prepared crust and spread the goat cheese on and then in a single layer add the squash and shallot *take the time to place each squash piece down so you know they’re in an even layer, the shallots don’t need to be placed so preciously.
Chill in the freezer while the oven preheats to 400 degrees and just before baking apply an egg wash and a sprinkle of parm around the edges of the crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes, it should be quite golden and little bits of shallot an/or squash should begin curling and darkening.
Let it cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving- it’s delightful at room temp which means you don’t have to feel fussy about timing if timing isn’t your strong suit.
What Kind of Buttered Noodles Will They Make Next?
I have several variations of buttered noodle-esque dishes like this and here is another one that is frequently in rotation when we want dinner fast and comforting. I melt about 4 Tbsp of butter for 1 lb of pasta and this particular variation uses a couple tablespoons of chili crisp from the jar, a couple cloves of minced garlic, sometimes a splash of cream and sometimes not, fresh parm, a little pasta water to loosen before serving. I usually roast some broccoli and/or whatever and this time I had shiitakes languishing in the vegetable drawer that needed to be used so they got roasted as well.
Don’t love spicy? Scale back the chili crisp and/or up the amount of cream. You can also swap the chili crisp for a bit of gochujang and I have been known to add a Tbsp of miso to this variation as well. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a little butter and a little pasta water, honestly. Literally any ‘dip’ you have lying around could be added, just a couple tablespoons. I would 10/10 serve this to friends that came over for dinner because good food doesn’t need to be fancy.
Chex Mix
the nostalgia is nostalgic this time of year and homemade Chex mix reminds me of my mom who always let it go just a little too long (my mother was a burnt-food and copious amounts of black pepper kinda gal) and while I don’t recommend that, I do recommend making your own because it’s a classic, it always gets eaten, and you can control the number of rye chips that you add (a lot! the answer is always a lot!) which is helpful when your children are carbon copies of you and will in fact pick out all of the rye chips first. Bless them. I actually don’t use the recipe off the box and this year I used this one and was pleased (I am a goldfish re: my short term memory is trash and this is one of those things that I never make the same each time because I typically only make it once or twice a year) and I always bake it in the oven.
Candy
I once said that the legacy I will leave is the introducing of SweeTart Ropes to my friends and family. The holiday ones are… not holiday? Green apple maybe? I also swear they’re smaller than the standard ones? Either way, fondle the pack before purchasing and make sure your pack is soft (IYKYK) and then introduce them to your friends. I have yet to find a person that hasn’t adopted these into their Top 3 faves. Please report back if you feel differently, for science.
Tall & Creamy Cheesecake
I don’t love cheesecake but Anaya does. I used a little more salt in my crust recipe and this was the best cheesecake I’ve ever made. I topped it with cherry pie filling straight from the can per Anaya’s request (it’s never a bad request) and honestly the cherries were the best part, next to the crust.
Things I’m Drinking
Tea, so much tea. I’m obsessed with earl grey (bonus points for lady grey which has lemon and bergamot) at the moment, steeped in just a bit of water and then mixed with steamed (if you’re Anaya and using the steamer from the espresso maker we received for our wedding that I have never used but he does and we love him for that) oat milk or microwaved if you’re me because it’s 5:30 am and I’m just trying to mainline caffeine.
I’ve mostly hung up my Negroni and martini hat and have officially switched over to Manhattans or a couple fingers of whiskey with a splash of spiced apple cider. Tis the season.
Magnesium supplement because I am old and anxious lol
I have officially been off my ADHD meds for three weeks and I am very happy to report that my excessive anxiety has begun to subside which I am wildly grateful for because the latter half of this year was a T I M E. Note: please don’t willy nilly your meds; if you are wanting more info about my experience, just ask! If you’re needing more support please reach out to your doctor. This is not a dig at medications- this one just stopped working for me and that’s ok.
Be soft with yourself and others.
Biggest love,
AR