The Other Woman Cooks

I've done my share of being treated to brunch at a crowded eatery, standing in a long line waiting for a table with the sounds of my family's grumbling stomachs all in the name of a Mother's Day treat. Restaurants are just too damned busy on Mother’s Day and I love to cook.  Best deal of the century is that I cook, we all eat and they clean up while I sip a second cup of tea and post this recipe, adapted from last month's issue of Food Network Magazine.   Mom's Day Brunch Puff 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 4 tablespoons chevre (goat cheese crumbles) 2 tablespoons grated swiss cheese 4 eggs 3 strips crispy crumbled bacon 2 crisp steamed asparagus spears cut into one inch pieces Fresh ground sea salt and course ground black pepper Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the pastry sheet into four equal squares. Scrunch the corners to form 4 rounds. Place on parchment lined sheet and prick entire pas...

I have never attempted Crepes Suzette but today was Crepes Suzette Day.  Quiet Sundays are good days to try something new, there's no real pressure to succeed. I set out the simple ingredients I needed to recreate the storied and delicate classic French dessert. The usual flambe is fueled by Grand Marnier or the equivalent orange liqueur. Roadblock number one: no orange liqueur in the cupboard. There was, however, a brand spanking new bottle of Limoncello. Second problem: Don't know about you, but I'm too nervous to go starting anything on fire in my kitchen, I leave that sort of thing to the professionals. Since I'd already tossed classic out the window with the Limoncello twist, I decided to create my own non-flaming version of the sauce. Third issue: No vanilla extract but I did have almond extract. Another ad-lib. The results were astonishing! EASY CREPES SUZETTE Batter: 1 cup flour 4 large eggs 1 1/4 cup milk 1 pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon almond e...

Weekend mornings are for lazing around in jammies, sipping a fresh cup of tea and reading the paper while something yummy bakes up in the oven. Especially when the something yummy uses local berries and syrup and was prepared the night before. Another plus: this recipe requires little attention but to wait for the timer's buzz! We're at the end of strawberry season here in western Massachusetts. This recipe works well with any fresh berry and jam ... try blueberries, raspberries, even blackberries work well. Once the apples are ripe, apple slices and apple jelly make for tasty seasonal substitutes. Hint: Use raisin challah and add a dash of cinnamon to the egg mixture when using apples.   BAKED STUFFED BERRY FRENCH TOAST 1/2 loaf of Challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (approx. 3 cups) 1-4 oz. package of cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes 1/4 cup fresh sliced strawberries 2 tablespoons strawberry jam 4 large eggs, slightly beaten 1/4 cup maple syrup  3/4 cup milk STRAWBER...

Whether planning a lazy Sunday morning family brunch or a bridal breakfast for your BFF, this is the perfect recipe. Add a platter of fresh fruit, bacon or sausage, juice and coffee (or maybe Mimosas and Bloody Marys). And the best part?  These pretty little pastry quiche cups can be baked ahead, refrigerated and re-warmed about 10 minutes at 350 degree F before serving. QUICHE PUFFS 3 eggs ¼ cup low fat milk dash salt 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/2 cup broccoli crowns, chopped cooked ½ cup crumbled goat cheese 1 sheet ready made puff pastry, thawed Unfold the thawed pastry and roll lightly with a rolling pin to smooth it out. Cut into 6 squares per sheet. Lightly spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray. Fit a piece of dough into each cup, pushing into the cup but leaving the edges sticking up. Mix together broccoli and goat cheese crumbles. Divide equally among each muffin cup lined with puff pastry. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper...

Farmer Paul pours through the Boston Globe food pages regularly looking for something that appeals to his picky palate. Every now and then he finds a winner. Light, crunchy and chocolate ... what's not to love? Last week's Boston Globe recipe for Cocoa meringue almond bark is worth the effort.  And simply because I can't help myself from tinkering ... I used Hershey's dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa instead of regular cocoa. Yummy!!!

Lots of meals call for rice as a side instead of potatoes. Braised lamb in stewed tomatoes is great with white rice. Plum chicken and pea pods is another better with rice dish. There's always leftover rice.  Even Chinese take-out always come with too much white rice, but not quite enough to save for another day. Here's an easy and yummy solution for leftover rice.  RUM RAISIN RICE CUSTARD   2 cups scalded milk 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 c. sugar  Dash salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup raisins or zante currants 1/4 cup rum or brandy 3/4 cup cooked white rice Heat rum and 1/2 cup water to just below boiling. Remove from heat and soak raisins for an hour while making custard. Whisk together eggs, sugar and salt in a medium size metal bowl. Bring milk to scalding in a very heavy medium pan. Pour scalded milk over egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour mixture back into the heavy pan and cook over medium low heat until custard thickens, stirring constantly. It will take about 10-...

Friends will attest to my tendency to bake after losing elections. Years ago, a good pal lost a shot at becoming state senator. I kneaded my way through the loss producing 27 loaves of poppy seed challah. The way I've been baking the last few days, you'd think we lost everything last Tuesday. I texted that thought to an ally this morning and she immediately wrote back, "Well, we did lose a lot." Democrats, and it's no secret that I'm a Democrat, experienced sea change. Some of us saw it coming, helpless against that tide, stayed home to save ourselves. For us in Massachusetts, we had to work hard, harder than we have in a long time, to hold our fort. And we did ... but the reverb from the national landscape affected me more than I thought. Not that I'm whining. The thing about elections is there's always another one. The good news? I've come up with a fabulous new quiche filling and savory butter crust recipe. H...

My first encounter with soufflé was in a nice French restaurant in, believe it or not, Lowell, Massachusetts -- a rich puff of egg and cheese served with a deliriously savory drizzle of melted herb butter. I thought soufflé-making must be the apex of culinary achievement. One that I might reach someday if I managed to win the lottery, then be accepted for a French cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu. Then I found a recipe for individual asiago cheese bread puddings dusted with grated parmesan, and decided to give them a go one New Year’s Eve. They were puffy, delicious and easy. And they looked and tasted a lot like traditional soufflé. Not exactly the real thing but pretty darned tasty. My next experiment was to try different bread/cheese combos until I came up with just the right balance of flavor. Pair the cheese puffs with mini-caribou meatballs (pictured), and spiced shrimp as a small plate buffet accompanied by arugula and grape tomato salad. Add a pitcher of warm sangria and invite ...

Queen Victoria must have loved Christmas to have declared the following day as yet another holiday. Boxing Day, celebrated on The Feast of St Stephen, is an English tradition -- the one day of the year when household help was given a bonus and a full day off as a reward for providing good service throughout the year. For upper class Victorian families it meant the kitchen help would prepare foods in advance that the mistress of the house could manage without much fuss. For modern Brits, the day of goodwill has evolved into a banker's holiday encouraging the search for post-Christmas shopping bargains. Either way what's needed is a good breakfast, easy to prepare and this amazing brunch treat can be refrigerated up to twenty-four hours before baking. FRENCH TOAST BRUNCH BAKE 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/8 cup orange favored liqueur 1 tablespoon maple syrup 8 slices Portugese sweet bread, approx. 3/4 inch thick 2 cups half anf half 3 large eggs, slightly beaten 1...