These are the "good old days"

"Look at the sky," remarked my son as we did dishes by an open window.

"November is said to have the prettiest sunsets." There's a happy sigh when you hear a statement like that from your 23 year old son. That maybe in the space of your imperfect life, you did something right. And he was right. It was worth the time to let the dishes wait and appreciate the sky. Because tomorrow - it will be a memory. Of the good old days. But this evening the blues faded into soft pale pinks with red on the horizon and promise. A promise of a new day to be savored.
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"If you long for the good old days, turn off the air conditioning." - Griff Niblick
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I love that line and have used it in my hugely imperfect play Betwixt and Betweened - a play that focuses on being a teen throughout the last 8 decades. A play that is near and dear to me - all the tales are culled from true life stories and it may be messy now - but one day - I will get it right. One day. It's part nostalgia and part today. As is most of my cooking.
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I cannot say a lot of Italian cooking went on last week. It definitely was steeped in nostalgia. In foods from the good old days which are of course yesterday, today and tomorrow. And almost all of my cooking came from blogs.

Except for this one. This was a "use up your red peppers, your dregs of cheese and wallow in fuzzy slipper comfort."
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For each stuffed (vegetarian) pepper: (2 halves)

• 1 slice of stale bread (I used a hunk of wheat bread). crusts removed
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1 plum tomato
• 1-2 ounces favorite melty cheese (I used fontina)
• 1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/8 cup chopped Italian parsley (thyme and basil also work well)

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place bread (crusts removed) in milk. Let sit for five minutes.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray.
4. Halve and seed your pepper.
5. Press excess milk from bread and chop coarsely.
6. Add a chopped tomato to the bread, coarsely-chopped fontina, Parmigiano and parsley.
7. Gently combine. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool for 3-4 minutes and serve.

Panko-Crusted Chicken in Maple-Mustard Sauce


Maples are tapped for syrup in March. But for me, they always signal autumn. The thick, sweet, slightly-spicy syrup greets you after a walk in leaves -a walk that brought you past autumn bonfires, haystacks and cornstacks. A walk that asks for a little heartiness without the heavy.
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I found this recipe at Lynda's Recipe Box. I cook a lot (read: A LOT) with boneless chicken breasts. The mixture of the stout sweet nectar and the spice from the mustard turns a mundane chicken breast into a destination. The protective nutty-brown coating of Panko begs to be explored. And because life is hectic, a dinner that comes together in 20 minutes must always be tried. Try it. (You'll like it.)
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Loaded Baked Potato Soup


Reeni's blog Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice yielded me two soups for the week. (I am a soup-o-holic - I will happily slurp soup at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and will never understand why people don't consider soup a breakfast meal. Warm, nourishing and satisfies so you don't need a doughnut break.)
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I loved that the soups used (or I could use) evaporated skim milk. I am taking a break from cream. I am a muffin -a giant muffin at that. So am exploring options without resorting to "non-fat products" because - they're not real. They don't do things like - melt. Ignore the bacon in the photo. As I told you earlier - I am imperfect.
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In truth, I usually am a broth person. But my family is not enamoured of broth and pasta 7 days a week. (Works for me - some wilted greens, a little Parmigiano-Reggiano... really, I don't see a problem.) The soups were scented with nostalgia. The good old days. A day of coming home tired as opposed to weary. So deep-in-the-muscle satisfying that I didn't even need a piece of dark chocolate... for at least two hours.
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Here's the recipe link: Loaded Baked Potato Soup

And then there is Reeni's Broccoli Cheeese Soup

From scratch. Flecked and studded with broccoli and well, yes cheese and yes, I know - the "hugely imperfect muffin" label strikes again. Am I fooling myself that the lack of cream makes up for the abundance of cheese? There are things that comfort: Bach, cannolis, Julian Bream on the lute, watching waves, sunsets and soup - this soup. And cheese. If you are part rodent which I apparently am. I wsh iceberg lettuce would comfort. (Long sigh denoting that really - it does not.) I made a double recipe thinking it would last another day. Silly me.

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Here's the link to the Broccoli-Cheese Soup: Reeni's Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
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And for dessert... which I must speed through because I am late for a Weight Watchers meeting... if I decide to go.... if I'm not fooling myself...

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding

From Proud Italian Cook. I am cooking my way through Marie's blog. I've offered to be her apprentice. I'll be her tester, her taster and will be first in line to buy a cookbook should she ever decide to create one.

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This is cozy nostalgia. You enjoy, you are satisfied, you are blanketed with softness. You consider having this with your soup for breakfast. And why not? Pumpkin, spices, eggs, bread - it's a balanced breakfast, a soul-soothing dessert, easier than pie, and... made without cream. I will indugle weekly.

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Marie made it in individual ramekins. My ramekins seemed to be all over the house with Halloween treats and... white vinegar (you don't want to know) so I did it in one. She topped hers with pecans - and oh - please just go look for yourself. You will feel compelled to make it and you won't be disappointed. It's worth making just for the spiced aroma in the kitchen. Last I checked aroma does not contain calories.

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Here's the link: (Consider it for Thanksgiving) Pumpkin Bread Pudding
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Vegetable Galettes

These vegetable galettes with an impossibly soft crunch are from La Tartine Gourmande - just the softest, prettiest blog that is part nostalgia and a celebration of today. I hugely changed her recipe - the herbs, the vegetables, the flour and it was wonderful. I think it is hard to ruin her galettes (unless you add cream) - and it is a wonderful recipe for jumping off and creating.

Serve the galettes with any roasted meats or appetizer or eggs or with your broth during breakfast. I've made them twice and have reheated them for a no-cream midday snack.

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And here's the link to the recipe: Vegetable Galettes
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Having confessed just the tip of my imperfections, I will add that I am also remiss about posting awards that come my way. I post infrequently, get obsessed with the post and remember later and for that I apologize. Many of you have been kind to me and I am not ungrateful. I am often unconscious.

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Because I am a sometime theatre director who casts kids - I hate leaving people out. Casting is gruelling enough. In the past, I have often offered the award to any of my followers. It is what I will continue to do. I would like to thank Beth from Of Muses and Meringues for this award.

Beth is a writer and her blog is indeed filled with muses, recipes and I think you will like her light touch, creativity and optimism. I do hope you will visit her.
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And spend some time - gazing at the sky.

While your maple chicken-soups-pumpking bread pudding-red peppers and galette cook.