About jacky grace

I grew up in an Italian house with big meals, big flavors and big voices. My husband comes from an even bigger Greek and Armenian house with even bigger food and voices. Here in our tiny city kitchen, we adapt our family recipes for our small space without sacrificing any of the flavors, traditions or love.

Summer on a plate strawberry pie

Posted on May 26, 2013 by jacky grace

So it’s still not particularly warm out.

But when I stand in my kitchen, the sunlight streaming through the window, it at least looks like summer today.

And if you make this pie, your kitchen will smell like summer.

Look. Smell. We’re two senses of the way there!

Seriously, this pie will make your kitchen smell like strawberry fields.

I know we made cookies yesterday. And yes, we still have cookies left. But it’s a holiday weekend. So let there be gluttony!

Though, this pie is loaded with fruit, so it’s really good for you.

Before I get into the strawberry, summery goodness of this pie, I need to talk to you about the crust.

I know.

There are so many pre-made crust options at the store.

And I know, who has time to make pie crust?

1. It’s a holiday weekend, so you have the time.

2. This crust is faster than you think.

3. You will make this and you will understand. There is no store bought crust that compares.

This is my Grandma Helen’s pie crust.

I first learned to make this when I was trying to recreate her famous banana cream pie.

That’s right. Famous.

You never heard of Grandma Helen’s banana cream pie?

Go to Delaware. Ask anyone from my dad’s neighborhood. Ask anyone from our family. Ask any kid who grew up with any one of my Grandma Helen’s 6 kids.

That’s right. 6 kids.

My dad is the oldest boy and the second oldest kid of 6.

My grandmother had 6 children. And no dishwasher.

God bless her.

Her banana cream pie is probably her most-loved recipe. With her cinnamon rolls the probable second. I’ve never tackled those though. I read the recipe once and realized that it’d make like 4 dozen. Makes sense, considering her family of 8 often brought friends over. But I don’t think my itty bitty city kitchen can handle 48 cinnamon rolls. So until I have the whole family coming over for brunch, or until I figure out how to cut down the recipe, I will leave those to my aunt.

The reason the pie is so good (besides the butter, egg and vanilla filled homemade pudding) is very simple.

The crust.

A good pie crust is hard to come by. You may think you had a slice of pie with a good crust at a diner, but most of the time it’s a little too underdone, or a little too dry or a little to bland.

This is good pie crust.

I actually have the recipe for it hanging on the wall.

For the crust you will need

1 stick butter, cold and cubes
1.5 cups flour
.5 tsp. salt
4-6 tablespoons ice cold water

The key to the crust is cold butter and cold water.

Now, a note on the water.

The women in my family, on all sides of my family, are bossy and stubborn.

My grandmother is no exception. The recipe reads, and I quote “4-6 tablespoons cold water (always use 4)”

I laugh every time I read it.

4-6 but always use 4. Also known as, grandma knows best, or do it my way or else.

(My grandmother passed away 3 years ago. And every time I make this recipe I pray she isn’t looking. I have to use 6 tablespoons. It must be drier in the city than it is in Delaware.)

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine the flour, butter and salt. You can use a pastry cutter or your hands. Or you can use yia-yia’s ancient cuisinart. I went with this option so I could have a grandma from each side in the kitchen with me. There’s no way this pie could be bad with two grandmas helping. (There’s also no way anything that starts with a stick of butter could be bad.)

Pulse or combine until butter forms pea-sized clumps.

Add the cold water (start with 4 tablespoons, stir then add more if necessary) and combine until the dough forms a ball.

Turn out the dough onto a well-floured counter. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a ball.

This recipe will give you two 9 inch pie crusts, so enough for 2 open-faced pies or one pie with a top. The beauty of this crust is its versatility, Pies and tarts of course. But since there’s no sugar, it easily goes savory for quiche.

You can wrap one ball in plastic and refrigerate for 2 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Roll out one of the dough balls.

Be patient with the dough. Don’t fight it. Just take your time and don’t be too concerned with making a perfect circle. Homemade pies never look perfect. They look rustic, and homemade and delicious.

Now. You may be thinking, patient? I thought you don’t have patience?

I don’t.

But my boyfriend does.

So he rolled out the dough and put it into the pie pan.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Grandma says 10-12. She doesn’t give an exact time on this one.

While the crust bakes, it’s time to get started on the filling. I promise I will share the banana cream pie secret filling recipe to you, but not right now. Right now, it’s all about the strawberries.

For the filling you will need:

1 pint + 1 handful of strawberries washed and hulled
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Slice the strawberries. The pint will go into the pie sliced. The handful will be used to make a strawberry jam-like sauce. Most recipes call for strawberry jello or a packet of gelatin, but I wanted a more natural alternative.

Set aside the sliced strawberries until the crust is cooled.

Take the remaining handful of strawberries and toss in a blender or food processor and blend.

Pour this vibrant strawberry sauce into a small pot along with the water, sugar and cornstarch.

Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens.

This is where your kitchen will smell like a strawberry field.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Toss the strawberry slices into the cooled crust.

Then pour the sauce over, shaking the pan to get the sauce into all the nooks and crannies.

Pop the pie in the fridge. You’re going to want to refrigerate this pie for a good 4-5 hours before serving. Trust me. This is one of those pies you want to be icy cold.

You can stop here. But who would want to?

This pie is begging for whipped cream.

Pour some powdered sugar and some heavy cream in a bowl.

Tip: stick the bowl and the whisk or beaters in the freezer for a couple minutes.

I know I just said pour some sugar and some cream in a bowl. I didn’t give you measurements.

Whipped cream is a matter of personal taste. We like it more on the cream side with just a hint of sweetness. You may want it really sweet. You might just have to pour and whip and taste and repeat to get the ratio you want.

Whip the mixture into stiff peaks.

Spread the whipped cream over the pie. Make sure the pie is cooled down before you add the whipped cream, otherwise it will all just melt together.

Add a few sliced strawberries on top so everyone knows what’s inside.

Slice.

Eat.

Enjoy.

Summer on a plate.

Mexican Chili

Posted on May 26, 2013 by jacky grace

The best friend of the itty bitty city kitchen is the one pot meal.

Only pot to make room for on the limited counter space.

And more importantly, only one pot to wash.

This is especially important after a long day at work. It’s even more important on hockey night.

Two nights ago, the Rangers thwarted the Bruins plans for a sweep, winning game 4 in the series in overtime 4-3. The series stands at 3-1. Bruins win, they’re in. Rangers win, they force a game 6 and hold onto Stanley Cup hopes.

This is going to be an intense game. You’re not going to want to have to wash stacks of dishes.

It’s supposed to be summer. It’s supposed to be time for seafood and burgers and freshness.

But, like I said before, in New York it’s 53 degrees with 23 mph winds.

Dinner calls for something that will warm us up. And be easy to eat during the game.

But after a long, cold winter of soups and stews and potatoes and roasts, I needed something different.

I am so ready for summer, and summer makes me think of Mexican.

Peppers, black beans, avocados, spicy chorizo, a crisp refreshing Corona.

How to take those flavors and make an easy to eat meal (tacos are too messy for hockey-watching on the couch) that will chase away the chill in the air.

This is my Mexican chili

You will need:

1 bell pepper (any color is fine. I used green because those looked the best at the store)
1/2 a yellow onion
2 portabella mushrooms
2 cans black bean
1 can red kidney beans
1 can diced tomatos
1 can corn
olive oil
chorizo (note if you want to make this vegetarian leave out chorizo and add in some taco seasoning instead)

Drizzle olive oil in the pan. I like to use my aluminum pot here.

Add the chopped onion and pepper and cook until soft.

Chop the chorizo and add to the pepper and onion.

Let cook so the chorizo flavors the oil and the peppers and onion.

Add the cleaned and chopped portabella.

When the mushrooms are cooked down, pour in the can of diced tomatoes.

Stir and let come to a bubble.

Wash and drain the beans and drain the corn. When the tomato juices bubble, add the beans and the corn to the pot.

Stir. Cover. Let all the flavors come together.

Serve in bowls and add toppings as you wish.

Some ideas are taco cheese, monterey jack cheese, salsa, my avocado yogurt sauce (see here ) or even some crushed tortilla chips.

Lime. Corona.

Done.

Or, even better, try this little drink concoction.

Panache. (Also called a Shandy.)

This is a fantastic summer cocktail.

You just need any light beer and limonade.

Limonade is a French soda. It’s like a carbonated lemonade.

Going with the Mexican food thing, we used Corona.

Pour the beer into a frosty glass and add some limonade – roughly 2 parts beer to one part limonade. If you want it more citrusy, you can go one to one.

Chili. Chips. Panache.

Done.

Oh. And the game. Don’t forget to turn that on.

Let’s go Rangers!

Rainy Day Cookies

Posted on May 25, 2013 by jacky grace

Memorial Day Weekend!

A three-day break from work.

The unofficial start of summer.

Time for barbecues and picnics and ripe peaches and watermelon and strawberry pie.

Except.

Here in New York, it’s 53 degrees and cloudy and windy.

So my plans for a hefty slice of cold strawberry pie after a burger and coleslaw had been thwarted. (I promise to tell you how to make the strawberry pie though once the temperatures rise).

All we can think about are movies on the couch and a big bowl of popcorn.

And cookies.

Gray and cold days scream for cookies.

Trouble was, I had planned on making pie. The strawberries were washed and sitting in the fridge, ready to be baked into a slice of summer. The butter was cubed for the pie crust.

So, we improvise.

Remember my pantry staples? Yup this is why you have them.

If you have cake mix, vegetable oil and eggs, you can make cookies.

Seriously.

All you need are

1 box cake mix (I used dark chocolate)
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

This gives you a basic cookie dough. Then you can mix in whatever you want.

For super decadent chocolate gooeyness, add chocolate chips to chocolate cake mix, or peanut butter chips for a play on Reese’s cups. Vanilla cake mix plays well with chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Or coconut if you want a real taste of summer.

I think that one of the most perfect combinations, besides peanut butter and chocolate, is chocolate and hazelnuts. Nutella? One of the world’s most perfect foods.

To make the cookies, preheat oven to 350.

Combine the cake mix, eggs and vegetable oil. The mix will be really thick. It will almost resemble the Oreo crumble on dirt cups. If you never made dirt cups as a kid go talk to your mom right now about why she deprived you of such an iconic childhood treat.

When the ingredients are combined, stir in the mix in of your choice. I used about a half cup of hazelnuts, I think. I don’t really measure. I just kind of throw them in and stir and add more if I need to. I just go for no cookie being left without nuts.

Spoon out the batter onto a greased cookie sheet. You can make the cookies any size you want. A little smaller than a ping pong ball gives you two dozen cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Your kitchen smells like chocolate. Melted, warm chocolate.

Brew a pot of coffee or some tea.

And settle into the couch for a 3 O’clock coffee break.

(My dad has coffee and a cookie at 3 everyday. He passed the habit to me. My body knows when it’s 3 O’clock)

These cookies are like a mix between a cookie and a brownie. Cakey and fudgey, but chewy and crunchy.

The gray skies don’t seem like such a damper on the weekend anymore.

Hockey Night Calzones

Posted on May 24, 2013 by jacky grace

Meatless Mondays.

They’re great. They get everyone thinking about the effect of meat on our bodies and on the environment. They also help you detox after a weekend of heavy eating and boozing.

I like to go against the grain a little though.

We go meatless on Fridays.

Maybe it’s because with Greek Easter and Easter so far apart this year we had double the Lent. Maybe it’s just in me from years of Catholic school that Friday is a meat free day. But whatever it is, here’s my logic.

Rather than undo whatever you did over the weekend, why not set yourself up for some good choices?

That sounded lame didn’t it?

I’m sticking with blaming Catholic school.

Actually, I can blame my mom.

Now that I think about it, Friday night was always pizza night when I was a kid.

In case you didn’t guess by now, my parents are Italian. Being Italian, my mom and her family used to own a pizzeria. (My boyfriend’s Greek father also owned a pizzeria. Those Greeks just thing they can do everything!)

My mom came home every Friday and pulled out the pizza pan from the pizzeria, that had made hundreds and hundreds of pizzas and that was perfectly seasoned by the brick ovens of the pizzeria.

My friends were always in awe of the fact that she MADE pizza at home for dinner.

It’s not that hard really. I’ll show you some time.

So after a lifetime of Friday night pizza nights, I do admit that I often make pizza or pasta when Friday rolls around.

It being the Stanley Cup Playoffs, pizza is a great option.

But I wanted to mix it up a little bit.

So here are some super simple calzones. Perfect hockey food.

You will need

Frozen pizza dough, defrosted (feel free to make your own, but why?)
1 carton white button mushrooms, sliced
spinach
1-2 garlic cloves, diced
half small onion, chopped
ricotta cheese
parmesan cheese
olive oil
black pepper

I almost always have frozen pizza dough in the freezer. It’s a nice safety net for last minute dinners or for those when you have no idea what to make.

To defrost the dough, place the dough on a floured plate in the morning and cover with a kitchen towel. I suppose you could use a paper towel. But my mom always used a kitchen towel. And as much as us girls hate to admit it, we tend to do things the way mom did.

When you get home from work, preheat oven to 400.

Drizzle olive oil into a pan and add onions and garlic, cooking on medium low until slightly browned.

Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until brown.

While the mushrooms cook (sauteed mushrooms is one of my top 3 kitchen smells by the way. Closely behind cinnamon baking and chocolate melting), divide the dough in half. Roll out each half as if you were making two mini pizzas.

Place the stretched dough on a foil covered cookie sheet. You can grease the foil lightly if you’re scared of sticking.

When the mushrooms are cooked down add a couple handfuls of spinach and carefully stir (otherwise you’ll throw spinach all over your stovetop like I did)

Wilt the spinach and add a few grinds of pepper. I’m adding parmesan later so no salt needed here.

Meanwhile, spread the dough with ricotta cheese, leaving space around the edges so you can seal the calzones.

When the spinach mushroom mix is cooked, scoop half onto each of the ricotta covered dough, making sure to confine the mixture to one side of the dough so you can fold it over in a minute.

Carefully fold the dough over, pinching the edges to seal.

Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes.

If you’re making this ahead, you may want to undercook them a bit so you don’t overcook them the night you heat them up.

Grab a beer. Kick up your feet. And cheer on your favorite team.

Zucchini Pasta – or home alone tonight!

Aside

My boyfriend is the love of my life.

He is my best friend, my soul mate, my sous chef.

We live together, play together, laugh together and cook together.

At the end of a long day, all I want to do is hang in the kitchen with him, prepare a nice dinner and then sit down to it with some good wine and some good conversation recapping the day.

I love that he lets me try recipes on him and I love that he will eat almost anything I make.

Except for one thing.

Zucchini.

He hates it. Can’t stand it. Turns up his nose at anything containing it.

I love it.

How could you not like it? I always ask.

It tastes like whatever you cook it with, I argue.

You eat yellow squash, and they’re in the same family, I reason.

Turns out. They’re not the same.

Not for him at least.

Much as it pains me to admit, on this one, he was right.

I was flipping through Good Housekeeping and stumbled upon an article about allergies. Food allergies fascinate me. Thankfully neither of us have any, but they are on the rise today.

Scanning through the article, my eyes see two words: zucchini and ragweed.

People with ragweed allergies often have a sensitivity to zucchini. Not an allergy, just a sensitivity.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

All those times he wrinkled his nose and told me zucchini tasted like a** to him were because of ragweed, not his taste buds.

Damn.

I hate when he’s right.

So, now I don’t argue with him.

I just make zucchini dishes when he’s not home.

This is one of my favorites. And one of the easiest.

You will need

1 or 2 zucchini depending on size and your hunger levels
olive oil
garlic, chopped
salt
pepper
eggs

Cut the ends of the zucchini and peel the skin. With a vegetable peeler or a mandolin, or a sharp knife and a steady hand, peel the zucchini lengthwise into ribbons.

Rotate the zucchini, peeling from each side until you hit the seeds.

Repeat on the other zucchinis.

When you have a pile of ribbons, drizzle some olive oil in a pan and toss in the ribbons.

Turn to medium heat and toss in the chopped garlic.

I put the garlic on top of the zucchini and stir it around because I have a tendency to burn it otherwise.

Sprinkle some salt and grind some black pepper and continue to cook until the zucchini is cooked through. It will start to turn a bit translucent.

If you are using a big enough pan, push the ribbons to the edge, leaving a space in the center.

Crack one or two eggs (depending on hunger again) and cook until sunny side up. Feel free to cook to over easy if you prefer, but you really want a runny yolk on these.

If your pan is too small to accommodate, just put the ribbons into your bowl and cover to keep warm.

Top with the fried eggs.

Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top if you wish.

Run your fork through the egg, cracking the yolk, and letting the yellow gooey center seep over the green ribbons, forming a sauce for your “pasta.”

The slightly crunchy, tender zucchini that’s a little sweet and a little spicy from the pepper.

The rich warmth of the egg coating the ribbons.

This is spring in a bowl.

If you want to make this a vegan recipe, leave out the egg and parmesan. Squeeze some lemon juice to make a lemon garlic sauce. Or, treat the zucchini as you would pasta and add your favorite tomato sauce.

Oatmeal Bites

Posted on May 23, 2013 by jacky grace

We are healthy eaters.

I mean that in both senses of the phrase.

We have big appetites and will rarely say no to food when it’s put in front of us.

But we also try to eat healthy. No crazy diets or anything like that. I love milk and cheese too much to be vegan, and mom’s meatballs (I promise the recipe is coming) and a juicy burger are just cravings I know I could never kick. But still, for the most part, we limit chicken and meat to 1-2 times per week and try to have as many fish and veggie-centered meals as possible. Our fridge is always stocked with a rainbow of fruits and veggies for munching- strawberries for yogurt, blueberries for cereal, apples to dip in peanut butter, carrot and celery sticks for pre-dinner snacking.

I don’t stress about food. But I like to feed my body well. And I just feel better when I eat fresh foods.

But I have a few weaknesses, namely bread (you will see a crusty loaf of bread play a role in many a meal on here) and cookies (okay okay and ice cream, but ice cream is milk and has a ton of calcium and vitamin D so it doesn’t count as a weakness since it’s good for me).

I’m Italian, so the bread is hardwired in my DNA. You will not take the bread away from me.

Cookies, though. I’ve indulged in my fair share.

And my share no longer fits in last year’s bathing suit.

And I really don’t have the money to spend on a new one.

So, a healthier cookie it is!

I’ll admit, this isn’t so much a cookie as an oatmeal bite.

I don’t really know what to call it, but I like the way oatmeal bite sounds. And that’s really what it is, oatmeal and cinnamon and almonds baked into a soft bite.

There’s no flour or eggs or butter to be found in this.

No joke.

For these bites you will need

1.5 cups oats (instant or quick cook work here)
2 bananas
4 oz apple sauce (I had the single serves in my fridge and one of those is 4 oz)
2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoon vegetable oil if the mixture is dry

That’s the basic “dough” recipe.

In a bowl mash together (see, see, potato masher again!) the bananas and apple sauce.

Stir in the oats and honey and the vegetable oil if mix is dry.

You will get a cookie dough like mix.

Now add in whatever you want.

I used cinnamon and almonds this time, but you can mix in some chocolate chips and hazelnuts to give them more of a dessert cookie feel, or toasted coconut and macadamia nuts for a taste of the islands or some walnuts and nutmeg for a play on banana nut bread.

Spoon out the mixture in golfball size mounds onto a greased cookie sheet.

I got 20 bites.

Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. The outsides will brown and the insides will be a little soft.

Your kitchen will be filled with scent of oatmeal and cinnamon and your neighbors will want to come make friends.

Bake these the night before for a grab on the go breakfast or to pack for mid-morning snacks, or for that 3 o’clock slump, or have them warm that night with a steaming cup of chai tea.

They’re even quick enough that you could make them in the morning before work. If, you know, you’re a morning person and capable of doing anything before coffee.

Life changing salad dressing

Posted on May 23, 2013 by jacky grace

A few leaves of romaine. A handful of spinach. A couple of tomatoes. Maybe some olives.

This is usually what comes to mind when you hear the words side salad.

You begrudgingly toss together some greens to give yourself a well-rounded meal and to add some veggies into your otherwise veggie-less dinner. You are an adult. You eat salads with your meals.

Banish those thoughts from your mind.

I’m about to change the way you think about salads.

This dressing.

It’s going to change your life.

This will change a bowl of lettuce into a savory, delicious side dish you will want to accompany any meal. If you are looking for a light dinner or a hearty lunch, this also works as a meal.

You’re probably thinking, dressing? How is that going to change my salad life?

And then you’re probably thinking, dressing? Who has time to make that? I can just buy a bottle.

Now, I have some bottled dressings in the fridge. But nothing compares to the freshness and the brightness of the flavors in a homemade dressing.

Plus, sodium, preservatives, dyes, colorings. These things are in your bottled dressing.

Sucks.

So, if you make your own, you can have control (control freak again!) over what goes into your food.

This dressing takes a minute to make, literally.

All you need are

Prosciutto
olive oil
red wine vinegar
spicy mustard

Drizzle a little olive oil in a frying pan. Rip up some prosciutto into the pan. You don’t need to be neat, just tear it up. The more rustic and homemade it looks, the better. People will believe you when you said you made it.

Figure about 2 or 3 pieces of prosciutto per person. You can add more if this is going to be your main meal.

Turn the heat to medium and cook the prosciutto until it is crispy. This only take a minute, so don’t walk away.

When the prosciutto is crispy, lower the heat and drizzle in some red wine vinegar.

Add a tablespoon of spicy mustard and stir. Turn the heat back up, stirring to combine.

This is one of those recipes that can be tailored entirely to your taste. If you like a more acidic dressing, a splash more vinegar. If you want more spice, a little more mustard. The prosciutto is salty enough so do not add salt. Black pepper is okay if you like, but the mustard I use has enough kick for us.

When the dressing thickens slightly and is combined, pour over your salad.

Here is a bowl of baby spinach, tomatoes, dried cranberries and black olives. A perfectly respectable side salad.

And here is that same salad with the dressing.

See the difference?

Life. Changed.

Warm, crispy, salty prosciutto, tangy vinegar and a kick of mustard atop the mild crunchy spinach. A juicy tomato bursts in your mouth. The briny olive and the sweet cranberry. A riot of flavors.

The perfect prelude to the much anticipated (for me anyway) heaping bowl of spaghetti with broccoli pesto.

The Essentials: Part 1, Mission Dessert – pantry staples and shortbread

Posted on May 22, 2013 by jacky grace

Yesterday’s emergency made me realize something. I had been so excited to start telling you about the wonderful and delicious food you can make in your tiny kitchen, that I forgot to go over some basics.

We covered kitchen equipment, but I completely left out pantry staples.

If I didn’t have a well-stocked cabinet and fridge, I would have had to make a stop at the store (which I didn’t have time to do) or, worse, a stop at the bakery. Now, we have a fantastic bakery near our apartment. But 1. I couldn’t bare the thought of ordering takeout pizza AND giving my guests store bought baked goods, no matter how homemade they may taste and 2. while our bakery is probably one of the cheapest in Manhattan and the occasional cupcake or banana pudding for two doesn’t break the bank, the cost adds up when you’re getting into the dozen zone.

I break my pantry into two categories, dessert staples and quick dinner staples. I’m going to start with dessert staples for now and then cover dinner in another post. But some of these things, like butter, eggs, vegetable oil and heavy cream really live in both worlds.

So, here are the things I keep on hand so I can always whip up some sort of a dessert.

Box cake mix
Flour
Sugar
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
vanilla
Powdered Sugar
Eggs
Butter
Heavy cream
Chocolate (I prefer bar over chips because bars melt more easily due to stabilizers in chips and you can easily chop up the bar to use as chunks in cookies. I like to get one item that can do double duty instead of two when I can.)
vegetable oil

I know eggs, heavy cream and butter have shorter shelf lives than the other items. But, if you’re like us, you always have eggs on hand. I make egg sandwiches to take for lunch, he makes eggs on Sunday mornings and eggs find their way into dinner at least once during the week. Butter lasts in the fridge for a while. Or can be frozen.

I go for unsalted butter always. It’s better for baking and if I am going to use it in my cooking, I’d prefer to have complete control over the salt content. Only child. Control issues.

Heavy cream may seem like the only odd ball thing to have. But I end up using it more than you’d think. Adding creaminess to soup, a splash to a smoothie for some richness, and who doesn’t love some homemade whipped cream on ice cream or cake or a brownie?

It may seem like a lot to buy flour and baking soda and baking powder, but it will just be the initial stock up purchase that will hit your wallet hard. Baking soda and powder last me a good six month or more. Flour can go for a few months before needing a restock.

Chocolate never lasts. Ever.

It may seem like a pain to buy all of this stuff, but I promise you, it’s worth it.

With the above ingredients, you can whip up cupcakes or a cake with homemade butter cream frosting, cupcakes or a cake with a homemade and oh-so-fancy-shmancy-but-secretly-super-easy chocolate ganache, shortbread cookies, shortbread cookies dunked in chocolate ganache, chocolate chip shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, glazed sugar cookies, chocolate dipped sugar cookies, a cake or cupcakes with a glaze… oh, and of course, yesterday’s emergency whoopie pies!

Yup. All that. From those 11 ingredients.

There’s more too, but that’s what comes to mind because those are the things in my arsenal.

The easiest one really, and the one I’ve found to be the biggest crowd-pleaser, is shortbread.

It is so deceptively simple.

It tastes like you’ve spent hours slaving away.

It also tastes like you will need to spend hours slaving away in the gym.

Only the latter is true.

Ready?

2 sticks of butter
4 oz sugar
10 oz flour
(1 oz corn starch- the recipe calls for it, but I’ve left it out and they taste fine. I have it on hand for thickening soups or for making puddings, but don’t panic if you don’t and if you know you will never use it again)

Preheat oven to 300

Cream together the sugar and the butter.

When smooth, stir in the flour.

Press into a round or square greased baking tin. I use my square pan I use for brownies.

Prick holes in the top with a fork.

Bake for one hour.

Cut into squares upon removal from oven, when shortbread is still soft.

Place the bars on a plate to cool.

Your kitchen will smell like butter. And warm sugar.

Your defenses will be down.

You will be worried about whether your aunt will notice the dust on the TV, or if your boyfriend’s grandma will judge you for ordering mezze from the middle eastern restaurant down the street instead of spending the day in the kitchen making hummus and babaganoush and lamb kebabs (you had to work!) or if you can crack open the bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass without anyone noticing how much liquid has gone missing….

But then you will look at your shortbread squares arranged daintily on the plate.

And you will realize that no one will notice if one of those has gone missing.

Butter and sugar will dissolve in your mouth.

And all will be right with the world.

Last minute visitors – Emergency Whoopie Pies

Posted on May 21, 2013 by jacky grace

Remember that amazing, bright, springy, wonderful pesto I made this morning?

Remember how much I was looking forward to dumping it over a bowl of angel hair pasta and curling up with it on the couch after a weekend of running around celebrating graduation?

Well that went out the window.

My phone rang.

My cell phone never rings during the day.

My boyfriend is always too insanely busy at work to call me during the day, so when I saw his name pop up on my phone I knew something was either wrong or that something had come up.

I was praying for the latter.

But I’ll admit I was a bit flummoxed when he said that a bunch of his family wanted to come over tonight.

What?

We were just with your family all weekend.

We were with them all weekend, and because we were with them ll weekend, we weren’t at our place this weekend.

Meaning, our apartment was a mess.

My mind went immediately to the still unpacked bags and the piles of laundry and the dust bunnies that needed vacuuming.

Then, my mind flew to the fridge.

Besides the pesto, there was nothing in there.

I hadn’t food shopped yet.

What would I feed these people?

I calmed down when he said everyone was cool with just ordering pizza.

But still, I couldn’t not make anything.

I’m a firm believer in offering anyone who comes to your house something homemade.

Which is why I try to keep a few key things in the apartment at all times:

box of cake mix
eggs
butter
powdered sugar
vanilla

With these on hand, you can at least make a semi-homemade dessert to go with your takeout dinner.

So here are my Emergency Whoopie Pies

You will need:

1 box cake mix (any flavor)
3 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing until blended. Some lumps are okay.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto the cookie sheet.

They will spread a bit, so leave space. I can get 4 rows of 3, so a dozen on a sheet.

I usually don’t care about things being the same size, but in this case, size does matter. You’re going to sandwich two of these together, so you want circles that are roughly the same size.

Bake for 8-12 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

One batch of mine was done in 8, one was done in 11. Depends on how thick you made your cakes.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

I only have one cookie sheet, so I remove the cooked cake cookies and then dollop the next batch of batter on for round two.

While the second batch bakes and the first batch cools, it’s time to make the filling.

Super simple buttercream recipe.

1 stick butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

You can double this or triple this or half this to suit your needs.

This amount fills a dozen whoopies pies.

Mix together butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. You can add more sugar if you want it a bit sweeter, or, if the frosting is too thick for your taste, you can stir in a little bit of heavy cream.

This is one of those feel recipes. You make it and you get a feel for the consistency.

You also, I’m sorry to say, might just have to taste it.

I know.

Horrible fate it is of the baker.

Tasting frosting.

Feel free to add more sugar or more vanilla as you like.

You can also add food colorings, or if you want to be more adventurous, different flavorings like mint or coconut.

I’m pressed for time, so vanilla it is.

When the cookie cakes are completely cooled – you really have to let them cool all the way-

Patience is not a virtue I possess.

My mom gave me the middle name Grace, after my grandmother, so that’s the virtue I have.

I really think you only get one. So I am, unfortunately a very impatient person. Which is probably why I prefer cooking to baking, but I digress.

Let them cool completely. Otherwise you will have a runny, melty, sticky mess on your hands.

Flip a cookie cake over and frost the side that was face down on the cookie sheet. Find another one of roughly equal size, and, placing the cookie sheet side down, sandwich the frosting.

It should ooze out the sides a little bit.

Continue making sandwiches until you run out of frosting and cookie cakes.

If you did it right, there will be a small spoonful of frosting in the bowl begging to be eaten.

If you did it really right, you will savor the frosting for a moment, admire your plate of whoopie pies and then buzz the family up to the apartment.

Throw the cookie sheet and the bowls into the sink.

Cover your sink (and the mess) with your over the sink cutting board.

None the wiser.

Oh- S*- what’s- for-dinner-broccoli-pesto

Posted on May 20, 2013 by jacky grace

I have a confession.

I, I who touted simplicity in kitchen equipment and who tut-tutted at fancy gadgets, own a food processor.

I said it.

I got it off my chest.

I feel a little bit better now that I am being honest with you.

I know. Bitty kitchen. And high rent. Where do you put it and how do you afford one?

Let me explain.

My boyfriend is Greek. Well, Greek and Armenian, but this story concerns his Greek side.

His father’s mother, my boyfriend’s yia-yia, passed away a number of years ago, long before i knew him, long before we knew of each other’s existence even.

I’m close with my boyfriend’s father. He and I are both only children, so we get each other. I understand his independence and stubbornness and his occasional need for solitude and for quiet because, well, I’m the same way.

My boyfriend and I were discussing the other day, that everyone always focuses on the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. But father-in-law and daughter-in-law is a very under valued relationship. His dad has two sons and no daughter. It’s nice for him to add a female to his family. Especially since it’s great practice for the four granddaughters I pray he gets!

But back to yia-yia. I didn’t get to meet her, but my boyfriend’s dad says I remind him of her. From what I’ve heard, she was an elegant and incredibly intelligent woman (spoke 7 languages and had a Masters degree from NYU! A Masters. At the time! Imagine!). So I happily take the comparison as a compliment.

When yia-yia passed, the contents of her house were moved to her son’s basement. This was more than ten years ago, keep in mind.

So, we were at their house. And I happened to mention wanting a food processor one day.

His mom jumped right up to say she had one in the basement, unused, still in the box. It was yia-yia’s.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you yia-yia’s ancient Cuisinart!

This thing weighs a ton.

It’s a great weapon in case someone ever breaks in.

But guess what? It works. Perfectly.

I don’t care that it’s ancient.

It’s a little bulky, but I made space for it. It’s yia-yia’s!

And I kind of like that it was hers. It brings her into our kitchen and gives our home that feeling of history and of family that’s not always easy to get in a rental apartment.

So now, I can make one of my favorite things ever.

Pesto!!

I know I could have made it before with a mortar and pestle the old-fashioned way.

But, I want more than just basil.

I want to spice things up and mix up tradition.

Get it? Mix up? Food processor? Tradition? yia-yia’s food processor?

Also, we were away all weekend celebrating my boyfriend’s brother’s graduation from college.

After getting back at like midnight on a Sunday from a weekend of heavy dinners, too much wine and lots of running around to sit in auditoriums, I just don’t have the time.

I need something ridiculously easy.

And when I’m standing in the kitchen going Oh s*, what’s for dinner? I always turn to broccoli pesto.

I always have parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic in my kitchen. If you keep so frozen veggies in your freezer, you’re good to go for any last minute guest or any moment of crap, there’s no food in my house!

I make this in the morning before work sometimes so it can hang in the fridge all day. You can make this in advance and freeze it too.

So.

Broccoli pesto.

You will need

2-3 cloves of garlic

olive oil

broccoli florets

parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Or, if you’re using frozen broccoli, follow the defrosting directions on the package.

Or, put a little bit of water in a microwave-safe bowl, toss in the broccoli and zap!

You don’t really want to cook the broccoli, you just want to take away the rawness.

I throw mine in a pot of boiling water for like thirty seconds, until the florets turn a bright green.

Meanwhile, throw the garlic cloves into the food processor and pulse.

I put the garlic in by itself to get it all chopped up so it combines more evenly with the broccoli. But you can put everything in at once.

Remove the broccoli from the water and put in with the garlic. Pulse to chop a bit.

Drizzle in some olive oil and blend.

If the mixture seizes, add more oil. Or, if you want to keep this lighter, add a little bit of the water from boiling the broccoli.

I try not to use a lot of oil. Especially after the four course meal we ate in Baltimore this weekend.

Blend until you have the consistency you want. I get it fairly smooth with little bits of broccoli peeking out so you can tell this is not your ordinary basil pesto.

If you’re serving immediately, throw in a handful of parmesan cheese and blend.

If you’re storing this for later, hold off on the cheese for now.

I’m putting this into Tupperware and refrigerating until dinner.

Tonight, I’ll boil some hot water, toss in some angel air and pour the pesto over.

A sprinkle of cheese on top, a crispy romaine side salad and some bread to mop the bowl.

Yum.

Itty Bitty City Kitchen

tiny kitchen, BIG CULINARY ASPIRATIONS

Author Archives: jacky grace

About jacky grace

Summer on a plate strawberry pie

Mexican Chili

Rainy Day Cookies

Hockey Night Calzones

Zucchini Pasta – or home alone tonight!

Aside

Life changing salad dressing

The Essentials: Part 1, Mission Dessert – pantry staples and shortbread

Last minute visitors – Emergency Whoopie Pies

Oh- S*- what’s- for-dinner-broccoli-pesto