“I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is two weeks.”
  -Totie Fields

Christmas has come and gone and Hanukah winds down tomorrow. And with the onset of the new year this weekend, we can all look forward to January – a ka – the month of storage and dieting.

Yikes, we’ve no sooner savored our last glass of eggnog and/or feasted on crispy potato latkes and Chinese food – when we’re faced with the harsh realities of the new year. Clean up your house and your diet. I, for one, will relish the last few days of 2011 by enjoying the leftovers in my refrigerator and feasting on something (as yet undecided) on New Year’s eve and the following day.

Sure you can stop by Trader Joe’s for delicious quick-to-prepare frozen appetizers but why not create your own tasty tidbits to bid 2011 adieu? A Sandler favorite is homemade hummus. Yeah, yeah I know you can buy it in any deli case, but try making yourself. It’s quick, fresh and oh so tasty. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, pack it up for lunch (kids love it, too) and enjoy it with cut-up carrot and celery sticks OR spread it on your favorite sandwich instead of the customary mustard or mayo!

Hummus
One of my specialties! Don’t be afraid to add additional (or less garlic).

3-5 garlic cloves, peeled (I use at least 5 cloves!)
2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained (liquid reserved)
3 tablespoons tahini paste* (look for it in the Kosher food section)
2- 3 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (or more)
1 tsp. (or more) salt

With food processor motor running, add garlic cloves through chute – process until minced. Remove lid and add garbanzo beans and tahini paste. Process by pulsing food processor several time just until beans and paste are combined. Through chute, with motor running, add olive oil, lemon juice and salt – andd liquid from beans if a fluffier texture is desired. Taste and add additional oil, lemon or salt as needed. If made ahead, add additional olive oil and/or lemon juice before serving.

Serve with pita bread, pita chips or lavosh.

*This magical “paste” comes in a can and must be refrigerated after opening but can be used safely for up to a year! Just make hummus a few times a year!

Here’s another house favorite – it’s from the original Mt. Sinai Hospital’s Food for Show, Food on the Go Cookbook – an easy and glamorous appetizer to throw together quickly.

Baked Gouda

1 8-ounce package crescent style dinner rolls
1 7-ounce round Gouda cheese
1 egg white, beaten
Sesame seeds

Unfold crescent rolls and smooth out perforated marks to form a solid rectangle. Remove casing from Gouda and place cheese in center of dough. Bring up all corners of dough to totally encase cheese, making sure all openings are sealed. Brush top with egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool a few minutes before cutting into wedges.

Until the next time….

“I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.”     – Julia Child

Unlike Julia Child, I started cooking because I loved eating – thanks to my dad. Eating was an adventure for my dad. He pored over cookbooks and magazines to learn more about the newest, trendiest foods. My dad would sit my brother and me down for a lesson in eating a pomegranate – showing us how to carefully suck  the delicious juice off each seed. We snacked on pear slices and thinly sliced Muenster cheese – and smoked oysters and sardines. Our turkey was smoked, not roasted, and the salami we savored was chewy and dry – following weeks of “curing” (dangling from a string in the pantry). My dad knew where every ethnic food market – and restaurant – was in the Twin Cities and we routinely accepted – and expected wondrous new food at every turn.

In other words, my palate was determined at birth. It’s all good for the most part. But while most people are happy with a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast, a turkey sandwich for lunch and steak and potatoes for dinner – I always crave variety and out-of-the-ordinary food. My typical breakfast is a Kim’s Magic Pop (similar to a rice cake) spread with Hell’s Kitchen’s (a Minneapolis restaurant) fabulous peanut butter. Lunch typically consists of a corn tortilla (purchased at my favorite Mexican market)*, baked until crisp and topped with refried beans, chopped lettuce and green onions. Dinner time is when I really get creative – stir-frying a variety of veggies and meats with the assorted Asian sauces I keep stored in the refrigerator – or experimenting with yet another new entree using boneless chicken breasts. Lately I’ve been experimenting with stuffing chicken breasts with a variety of fillings.

Food can and should be an adventure. You should relish (pun intended) what you eat. Here are some ideas to mix up your meal time:

• Scramble eggs and wrap in a warm tortilla for an on-the-go breakfast; season with Tabasco sauce or Frank’s hot sauce
• Mix up a homemade smoothie with assorted fruits and skim milk
• Stir craisins (dried cranberrries) into instant oatmeal; sprinkle with brown sugar
• Fill a sandwich wrap (available in the bread section of your grocery store) with Olive Muffalata** and shredded cheese; optional, zap in the microwave for 20-30 seconds
• Spread pocket pita bread  with hummus and fill with chopped tomatoes, lettuce and onions
• Create a “chopped salad” with leftover meats and veggies – chop into bite-size pieces; add garbanzo beans and chopped olives; drizzle with olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar

More ideas to come in the new few weeks. Take a chance on a new food. Life is too short to rely on the same old, same old breakfast, lunch and dinner!

* El Mariachi Restaurant, Grocery and Bakery is at 2750 Nicollet Ave. S. in Minneapolis. 612-871-5200

**That Pickle Guy: Olive Muffalata – I perfer the spicy version. Available at Whole Foods.

“Appetizers are those little bits you eat until you lose your appetite.” Anonymous

With the holidays approaching, I like to have emergency appetizer ingredients on-hand…just in case unexpected company arrives or I’ve decided to invite guests on the spur of the moment. Now’s the time to have a couple of 8 oz. packages of cream cheese on hand, along with some interesting jams or preserves. A block of cream cheese can be quickly softened in the microwave (10 seconds on high), placed on a small dish and topped with one of the following:

• Jalapeno jelly
• Onion/garlic jam
• Hot peach or raspberry preserves

Sprinkle with green onions and serve with an assortment of crackers and you’ve got an instant appetizer. You’ll find any of the above toppers in better grocery stores and department/cooking stores alongside the customary jellies and preserves. Check out Rothschild Farms and Stonewall Kitchen brands!

Here are a couple of additional ideas for tried and true appetizers:

Jarlsberg Dip

Simple but delicious; keep warm in a mini slow cooker for serving.

2 cups shredded Jarlsberg cheese

2 cups finely diced onion

2 cups mayonnaise (low-fat works!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients and place into an ovenproof dish. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with crackers or chunks of bread.

Note: Don’t need that much? Cut it in half.

This one seems putzy but calls for ingredients you usually have on hand and can be thrown together quickly. The finished “puffs” look amazing! Keep a loaf of bread in the freezer for this one. You can even cut the bread rounds, pre-bake them and place them on a cookie sheet and throw them in the freezer; once they’re frozen, pop them into a plastic freezer bag so you’re ready to go – whenever!

Parmesan Puffs

3-ounces cream cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1½ teaspoons grated onion

⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 loaf thin-sliced bread

In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion Parmesan and pepper. (You can do this in advance). Cut 2-inch bread rounds with cookie cutter or small glass and bake on cookie sheet in 300 degree oven for 5 minutes to harden. (This is also a “fix-ahead” step you can do; do not store in plastic bag as that will soften bread; instead place on a plate and cover loosely with waxed paper.

Spread cheese mixture generously on bread rounds. Sprinkle with extra grated Parmesan cheese and a dash of paprika. Broil until puffy and golden on top; Serve hot.

Makes about 30 hors d’oeuvres.

Looking for specific appetizer recipes? Let me hear from you and I’ll have more to share!

Stay tuned this week for some Hanukah crafts. Martha Stewart can’t be the only one having fun with glitter!

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”  -W. C. Fields

I rely heavily on a slow cooker to prepare dinner at least once a week – and if you’re not making use of yours – read on for some lifesaving tips!

My first real experience using a slow cooker – namely the original slow cooker – the Rival Crockpot – was back in 1976 when I moved to Kansas City with my husband. I was hired for a two week stint in their test kitchen to fill in for a home economist on vacation. The slow cooker craze had exploded and Rival couldn’t make them fast enough! At the time they had three full-time home economists writing and testing recipes five days, 40 hours+ a week for the the miniature cookbooks that were packaged with every slow cooker. The department even had a full-time employee whose only job was to prep the food for cooking – peel and slice carrots, onions, measure out ingredients, etc. – and the best part – do all the dishes!

Of course I had received a slow cooker as a wedding present two years earlier but my couple of attempts at using it produced meat resembling shoe leather! Ah, but soon I learned the slow cooker technique and was immediately hooked.

Start simple – and make a pot roast – a wonderful, stick-to-the-ribs kind of meal appropriate for the winter months – wherever you live. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1-2 celery stalks, chopped (optional)
• 6-10 miniature yukon gold potatoes, washed but not peeled*
• 1 3-4 lb.boneless pot roast, a ka chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 -3/4 cup water, beef broth or wine (I use whatever leftover red wine I have on hand)

Prepare all ingredients the night before so first thing in the morning, you can simply add them to your slow cooker, flip on the switch and be on your way for the day.

Here’s what the finished dish should look like! Don’t be afraid to add/subtract additional vegetables. Some folks swear by pre-browning the meat; frankly I don’t see a difference. Hint: opt for a good quality piece of  meat. Stick with your tried and true meat department and stay away from too-good-to-be true bargain cuts.

“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for 30 years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.”         – Calvin Trillin

Personally I’m a huge fan of leftovers! My favorite post-Thanksgiving treat – combine leftover stuffing, chopped up turkey and mashed potatoes (stir in a spoonful or two of cranberries if you’re a fan!) and bind it together with egg. (Varying the amounts and ingredients is perfectly acceptable!) Shape into patties and pan fry in a non-stick pan with a little oil or grill on a George Forman. Voila! Thanksgiving burgers!

If you make your own turkey gravy – you know how difficult it is to separate the fat from the “good stuff” drippings. I’ve purchased countless grease separators over the years and thrown all of them away. Until now! I ordered a Swing-A-Way Easy Release Grease Separator from the Chefs Catalog this year and it does the trick beautifully – plus it’s a bargain at $15.95. Check it out! I am the gadget queen and this one’s a winner!

We needed a healthy addition to the carbs at Thanksgiving this year and I tried a new recipe from Martha Stewart’s collection – fresh green beans with caramelized onions. I prepared the onions a day in advance and chopped up the tarragon so it was an easy last-minute-to-assemble side dish – boil the beans, toss with a little olive oil and the tarragon and top with caramelized onions. It’s served hot or cold! Follow me at connieiscooking on Twitter for a no-fuss way to caramelize a lot of onions – useful when Vidalia onions are in season. Try adding carmelized onions to pizza, burgers, sandwiches – even eggs! Here’s that green bean recipe.

No One Diets on Thanksgiving! What we’re really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?  – Erma Bombeck

I’ve been working on the launch of this blog for several months. Of course I’d planned on being live way before Thanksgiving so I could share hints and tips and a recipe or two for my favorite holiday. Alas – it’s already Thanksgiving – at least here in the Midwest.  I guess I’ll save my Thanksgiving secrets until next year – like the Halloween pumpkins I transformed this year for my Thanksgiving tables!

I hope you will join me as I write about my favorite pasttime – cooking – along with some commentary, conversation and chatter thrown in for good measure. I’ll be tweeting as well – please follow me at #connieiscooking for  recipes, cooking hints and more – yes, all in 140 characters or less.

I hope your Thanksgiving prep is well underway. My turkey is washed and ready to season and stuff. My onions, celery and fresh herbs are sauteed and ready to stir into my cubed bread for stuffing in just a few hours. My mini pumpkin parfaits are cooling in the refrigerator. My onions are carmelized and ready to top fresh green beans. My giblets and livers have beens simmered and strained for my turkey gravy. All I have left to do is boil/mash potatoes and set the table(s)! While I’m hosting T-day – I’m only supplying the turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans and one dessert – my relatives are contributing the rest!

Got a last minute cooking question or concern? Please email me and I’ll do my best to respond tomorrow amidst my own preparations. Want to know my secret ingredient to a luscious, golden brown turkey? Email me and I’ll share that special ingredient!

Please check back often to see what’s happening in my kitchen – I promise to share some fun ideas for both Hanukah and Christmas and all the celebrations that happen from now through the new year. And keep those cooking questions coming!!

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