Winter pleasures

December dinner party with my folks, sister and brother-in-law, featuring kitchen muse pizza and five current winter obsessions...


#1 Swiss chard, cut into ribbons and ready for saute action

#2 Cara-Cara pink fleshed oranges, seen here with baby chioggia beets, and citrus vinaigrette for green salad. If you see Cara Cara in your grocery store, go for it! You won't be sorry! They're ruby red like a grapefruit but with an intense, sweet orange flavor.

#3 The antipasti tray. The Italians are really on to something, here. How could any party guest resist a little salty bite with their vino or brewski?



Pizza with Swiss chard, beet greens, and bacon (YUM!) and three-cheese white pizza with sage oil, both made possible by winter obsession #4: the pizza pan. Golden, chewy crust not possible without one. Mom brought hers so we could make two pies.

And for dessert, can you believe it? I actually baked. It's #5 chocolate peppermint crackles, the old family recipe with peppermint extract instead of vanilla. Wait, that one in the front looks wonky. I can't possibly serve it to my guests. I better eat it before it causes problems... Ah, that's better.

So much fun! Best dinner party yet. We'll have to do this more often. Hope you are rounding off the year with people you love and good things to eat!

Salut! L'chaim! Cheers!

Baby, it's Cold Outside

Sunday, the rain raged against the panes of the house, and the sky was dark. In past years at this time, I've felt storm clouds inside myself, as if winter was something to be swallowed, as if my whole body absorbed the gray from outside. This year, I am determined to fight off any pending winter chills with good vibes in a warm house. And on dark and stormy afternoons, wouldn't you like to come home to this? It's Portuguese-style potato kale soup with garlicky, spicy sausage and it warmed my soul on Sunday.


Seasonal beverage? Certainly. This means I should add some to the soup, right? (My mom is laughing right now because she knows I am notorious for drinking half my bottle of beer.)

It all started because I've been volunteering at this garden in the city: http://www.thefreefarm.org/ Earlier this year, some folks started a garden where anyone can come volunteer and they give the produce away for free in needy neighborhoods without grocery stores. It's run by a guy named Tree--no kidding! Anyway, my three hours of weed pulling and seedling planting was rewarded with two bags full of purple kale and collard greens. Naturally, I was excited because I had never before worked with either of these ingredients.

A lesson I learned a long time ago from my folks--nothing chases the blues quite like a hot soup. First of all, soup makes your place smell warm and inviting. This one's packed with vital nutrients too. I checked--collard greens and kale are super foods; they've got iron, calcium, all the B vitamins, plus they fight cancer, clean your house, and fold your laundry. Okay, maybe not the last two. But I'm more in the mood to do those things when full of stick-to-your-ribs comfort food like this. Makes the rain outside not seem quite so angry, while inside I am curled up and content.