Follow Your Senses

The strongest of our senses linked to memory is smell. This automatic feature we are built with helps us to decide more things then we may know. What would happen if you followed what your nose told you to do when choosing a menu? You would find out that you were creating something with a little more flavor, out of the ordinary and exactly what you crave.

I did it. I let my senses dictate what I could and could not eat over the past week and it turned out to be a huge success. Tastes and aromas have been affecting me in very different ways lately so I said to myself, "Just go with it." I thumbed through some of my favorite recipe books, took a pencil and a tablet notepad and started writing a grocery list based on the meals that appealed to me. Most of these included lots of spice, bold flavor and, most importantly, were cooked without a frying pan and oil!

Why do I emphasize this detail? My nose. The one and only thing I have not been able to stomach during my pregnancy to date, is the overpowering and heavy aroma of meat (and/or poultry) sizzling in a skillet of oil. It fills every nook of the house and has recently repulsed me. So, I avoided that method completely and found a healthy, delicious way to serve dinner.

Some of these items that I have already cooked and absolutely loved are:

• Chicken breasts sprinkled with a lemon pepper seasoning then broiled and topped with a pesto sauce and served over sauteed orange and yellow peppers (and brown rice).


• Peppercorn and Tuscan seasoned roast beef with a horseradish and sour cream sauce on the side, served with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.


• Eggplant Parmesean made with a homeade tomato sauce and using breaded and baked eggplant slices and generous amounts of Ricotta cheese.


• Smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives on a whole wheat pizza crust garnished with olive tapanade.
  
  

You get the idea, right? The moral of this true story is to hopefully give you the confidence to try and let your cravings create your menu. You may just find something completely new and exciting that will become a staple on your family's table.

Grow

Welcome the light at the beginning of each day.
It brings the hope of something new.
Let its energy inspire you.
For there is so much to do.

Spring. Yes- I said it. It's here. Finally. Although it certainly doesn't feel like it quite yet and Mother Nature teases us with only small glimpses of the mild weather that is to come, we simply have to get ready.

I joined the blogging world approximately one year ago and it was just about this time that we were planting our seeds and tending them in our sunny, warm garden room. Well this year, once again we will watch them grow (among other things, like my belly). Pictured above is our tomato plants, which I happen to be extra excited about. I began telling you about my newfound pickiness in my last post. I also have great big love for certain things as well, such as tomatoes! I sit and dream of the different things I will do with them this summer...tomato, basil and mozzerella sandwiches; roasted tomatoes with garlic; omelettes; salads; stuffed tomatoes... you get the picture.

Other seedlings I am looking forward to are our herbs. I can't wait to use all fresh herbs from outside my front door to formulate the kind of meal we will create.

Aside from the garden update, I am thrilled to report that last night for the very first time in my pregnancy, I completely enjoyed every single thing we were served for dinner. This sounds strange right? Not really- if you know me or if you have ever had a baby. Roger and I attended a dinner party. The food was exquisite from start to finish. Not once did I feel those familiar pangs of discomfort either. It was a joyful moment!

What did we eat, you ask? Let's see...an olive assortment, fresh mozzerella, cucumbers, tomatoes with basil, fresh baguette bread, onion tartlet, halibut coated with cornmeal and parmesean then pan-fried and topped with roasted cherry tomatoes, potato wedges with rosemary and roasted asparagus. Yum. I even enjoyed my first glass of red wine. It was Cabernet Sauvignon from North Carolina, no less. It had soft, fruity notes with a smooth finish. I realized as I enjoyed it with my meal: "Food loves wine and wine loves food. They were made for each other."

As the trees, flowers and veggie gardens begin to sprout and grow along with my re-kindled passion for food, I wish you a very happy beginning of Springtime. I encourage you to spark something new this season from a small project to a much-needed change.

The Food Sabbatical

Hello, to all my friends and family- those who were supportive in following my blog for the majority of 2010. Long time, no write. Well, I have good reason. I swear.

The new year of 2011 brought many wonderful things. I found out in January that I was pregnant! My husband and I are so very excited. As I enter the last week of my first trimester, I can't believe how quickly it has gone. However, my ever-changing physical state coupled with exhaustion leads me to my entire point of this blog post.

For someone who prides herself on her love of foods of all kinds and a passion for wine, my tastes have proven quite opposite for the last three months. Although I continue to eat the best foods that I can, my menus have been scaled down quite a bit. I feel like a six year old in the way that I need to "hide" my veggies with other flavors in creative ways in order to eat them. Also, for some reason, chicken has left my weekly menu planning as I simply cannot bear it. And wine, well for obvious reasons I am not drinking it. Even though my doctor has given me the green light on tasting and a glass once in a while, I cannot even smell wine without feeling sick.

While the past month has found me returning to my station in the kitchen, the first two were a challenge. My appetite was a bit less than normal but I absolutely could not cook. The woes of morning sickness would only hit me hard when I tried to prepare meals. Who'd have thought it?

The repertoire of the Country Hollow Kitchen has certainly changed but it will slowly return. I can feel it. For now, I will continue to cook whatever my hormones (and the baby) tell me to create. I look forward to our garden once again and the joys of warm weather grilling.

Unfortunately, my writing energy and focus are needed in many other places throughout my life at the moment. So, the Blog Sabbatical must continue but I will share anything interesting along the way.

Thank you for your support! For now, please have my share of food and wine.
All of the best to you,
Melissa

Taking on "The Crown" for Christmas

Christmas is one of the most special holidays (the best one for me) and therefore it's surrounded with the emotions of tradition, family memories and an eagerness to create the best celebration ever. Each year it only seems to get better, even though the family elements are ever-changing. While honoring the "musts" of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I search for something new and exciting each year.

For the second year in a row, Christmas Day was hosted at our home, affectionately known as Country Hollow, which thrilled me because I could decide on the menu and the decor. It was time to switch out the honey ham that is always served on our yuletide table and surprise the group with something they have never paired with Mema's famous lasagna...a Crown Pork Roast.

The Crown, among some other new recipes, was a welcomed challenge that I needed this year. I wouldn't have it any other way! The menu ideas, ingredients and cooking lesson were all possible due to my friend and colleague, Chef Joe Vergari. I approached him one day and said, "I'm tired of our usual spiral ham with Christmas dinner. I think I want to do a pork loin. What do you think?" Chef excitedly replied, "I've got just the thing for you." I am so thankful for that conversation and the education that followed.

I was given the tools to make an amazing crown pork roast, fresh fruit stuffing, Rosemary roasted red potatoes and carmelized brussels. My grandmother made her famous lasagna, which tops itself each year, while my father contributed a delicious green bean casserole. All of this was paired with Raphael selections of: 2005 Petit Verdot, 2005 La Fontana and finished with a 2007 Port with our Chocolate Trifle dessert (thanks to Mema once again).

Maybe I'm telling all of this backwards but I can't forget our Blue Glacier cocktail that we created with my mixologist uncle, Gregg Lewis. It combined Tommy Bahama rum, simple syrup, Blue Curaco, honey and lemon. The glass was rimmed with honey and coconut. This was the perfect start with a Waldorf Crudite dip that I made with my new food processor along with some specialty cheeses from Love Lane Cheese Shop in Mattituck.

Pictured above is our holiday table. It was warm and cozy with gold flakes and Victorian ornaments inside of various hurricane vases. I chose a cranberry tablecloth this year to pick up the colors of my eclectic Tuscan dish styles. The dining area is small, but all fit comfortably. As personalized place settings, I used a gold oil-based pen and wrote each guests name and the year on an ornament and left it on their plate. This doubled as a favor to commemorate the occasion.

The table, the culinary creations, the atmosphere and most importantly- the company of family and friends has made the 2010 holiday the best one that we've had in a very long time. Thank you to all for making my Christmas. Wishes of happiness and health to you in the New Year. Cheers!

Michael Anthony's Food Bar

Fine food and family. This is just a start to what you can expect from Michael Anthony's Food Bar tucked away off of a Northern beach road in Wading River. What better way to celebrate my birthday, then by trying an exciting new dining experience in a place that came well-recommended by so many of my friends and colleagues.

I don't proclaim myself a critic of any sort. My purpose is always to share restaurant hot spots and recipe ideas that really wow me. I want to spread the word to as many as possible. That being said, I can firmly stand by my word when I tell you that Michael Anthony's is hands-down the best place I have dined this year and I have made a decision to call this restaurant our new "local go-to" dinner spot. When I find a favorite, it's where my family and I will celebrate everything. Being a cut above in atmosphere, service and food and still offering reasonable pricing, I can call Michael Anthony's home.

Upon being greeted for our reservation, we were treated as old friends or visitng family immediately. The sommelier, Cassandra, was absolutely charming and truly knew her wine pairing art. The welcoming ambiance and table set-up were extremely comfortable. The dining room was filled with an energy and buzz with live music humming from the bar area. However, it also offered a romantic island of solitude at our corner window table.

The chef sent out a tuna tartare muse course first, along with warm breads served with olive tapanade, red pepper hummus and garlic butter spreads. Nice touch. Then we began our four course meal. Each was more exquisite than the last and all worked together perfectly! My dinner menu consisted of the following.

• Polenta toast with mushroom ragout and white truffle oil paired with the smooth Bedell Taste Red blend.


• Butternut squash bisque paired with a spicy Sardinian red from Cannonau Di Sardegna.


• Main course of tender veal rolled with spinach, breaded and served with a bechamel cream sauce. This was paired with a unique South African wine called Chocolate Block, which was jam in a glass. Terrific!


• I finished with a Swiss chocolate pyramid that featured carmelized sugar. I sipped on a Cappuccino with this one.

The experience of these dishes went beyond the ordinary in the flavor combinations and the beautiful presentation. Plus, Chef Michael visited our table twice that evening. He, Cassandra and all of the staff truly exceeded my expectations.

If you have not been to Michael Anthony's Food Bar yet, please plan on it for the new year. It is an absolute must!

'Tis the season to be extremely busy but don't forget to take a moment with your loved one(s) to share a glass of wine, a cup of coffee or if the time allows, a relaxing meal together.

Celebrate Breakfast

Cold December mornings. A crisp bite in the air and the strong-willed wind that crashes at your window panes. There's nothing like a hot cup of coffee and the enticing smell of cinnamon to warm you as you wake.

I'm all about sitting over my coffee mug and Roger is the breakfast chef in this house. This morning he baked. He baked a Bisquick Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit recipe that could compete with the taste, texture and aroma of any fine bakery. These biscuits or scones offered a double dose of cinnamon with an extra drizzle on top. The best part is that they are super quick and easy to make (as long as you mix extremely well).

I would recommend these delicious treats for your weekend breakfast or for holiday guests. The flavors are true Christmas and are sure to bring lots of spirit to your home.

Double Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
Makes 9 biscuits.


2 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 425 F.


2. Stir all ingredients in medium bowl (or mixer- very well) until soft dough forms. Drop by 9 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired.


3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

For the drizzle:

1. Stir together 1/2 cup confection sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of milk in a small bowl until liquified. Drizzle on top of warm scones.

Simplify. Give Thanks. Be Merry.

Somewhere out there on the autumn road, we drove into Thanksgiving and stumbled upon the holiday season. We enjoyed the warm company and festive spirit of family while we filled up on delicious turkey, stuffing, great conversation and football. During dinner, in between the wine and the sweet potatoes, I realized a few things. Now, with December about to begin, I thought it was the perfect time to share and set the mood.

1.) Keep it simple. Christmas can be complex...if you allow it. There's always so much to plan; parties to attend (or throw); gifts to buy and wrap; and dinner experiences to be created. Figure out what works to keep you organized but more importantly remember what's important. What is your favorite part of Christmas? What is your family tradition? Stick to it. Simplify. Don't let anyone change that.

2.) Be thankful. I asked myself what it was that I was thankful for this year. Of course I'm appreciative of all that I have when there are so many less fortunate but my answer had nothing to do with material things. Among all of the crazy busy days, the family ups and downs, the daily stress- I'm most thankful for the loving people that surround me each and every day. I am important to so many as they are to me. At the risk of sounding cliche or like a television commerical, that really is priceless.

Now, in regards to those in the world that are not as lucky, I think we all should choose one thing we can do for a person in need. Food, clothing, a Christmas present from a Secret Santa, the Salvation Army's efforts, a soup kitchen, a neighbor who is alone. One small gesture could be tremendous to someone else.

3.) Be merry, jolly, silly....basically laugh as much as possible and fill your season with magic and a light-hearted spirit. This is not always easy but it is a challenge you should commit to. I know I will be working on it all of the time.

These are the things I will keep as guidelines to December 2010 as I decorate the tree, shop, wrap, socialize and plan Christmas dinner at our home. I hope you find any one of these thoughts helpful and share with those that you are thankful for in your life.