A plate of cheese, a Pip, and thou

On Thanksgiving, you have your traditionalists that must have a certain stuffing, must have mom's Pumpkin pie and you must make the gravy the way Grandma made it. Happily, with appetizers - you can play. I always had an Italian-American Thanksgiving (where pasta was served before the turkey; this terrified my husband in our early years - the ravioli was brought to the table and he thought there would be no turkey. He ate all and was full when the turkey arrived). This year one of my Italian touches will be the Italian Cheese Platter. It's no-cook (freeing up the stove) and easy to assemble plus - it's just plain Italiany, autumn-goodness, sweet, savory, splendiferous fun!

I treated my family to a "trial run." Gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, asiago, boschetto with truffles, goat cheese, a piave, taleggio - what's not to like? I will be adding some provolone and buttery bel paese on Thanksgiving.

I scattered almonds, grapes, Sicilian olives, chocolate turkeys and pickled vegetables.

Raspberries, balsamic vinegar jelly and cranberry-fruit spread were the condiments.

The fresh mozzarella paired well with the sun-dried tomatoes on bread.

The asiago stood up to the salty Sicilian olives and pickled carrots.

Some balsamic vinegar jelly atop tangy, creamy goat cheese - brought together with some rosemary crackers from Panzanella.

The taleggio took all in stride: the berry fruit spread, the olives and the raspberries. Nutty, mellow as a cream-cloud, it was the first cheese to disappear.

I am looking at adding Celebrity's goat cheese with cranberries and cinnamon for Thanksgiving. Just the scent alone is worth the plating!

And our little mischievous feline Pip? He's back chasing the dog's tail, sliding cell phones under the stove and demanding snuggles and nuzzles. Cats with FIP have had decent success with holistic treatment. I am grateful for all.

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Tapenade

Tapenade. It has been my breakfast, lunch and dinner. My daughter's after-school snack and my husband's late night appetizer. I am not home. I didn't even make the tapenade! I have been betwixt and between Betwixt and Betweened and Stuart Little. I never do two shows at one time. But I thought - as the playwright - how often do I need to be at rehearsals? Well, come dress rehearsal - a lot. Mainly for support. When 23 middle school students premiere a new play, the excitement is infectious, contagious and joyous. They want to chat with the playwright. And so after writing every morning, I spent my afternoons at a Black Box Theatre in Mahtomedi, MN and then ran to Lakeshore Players in White Bear Lake to audition, cast and start work on Stuart Little. It's kind of like dividing your time between Never-Never Land and Oz. En route, I smeared cream cheese on a slice of Italian bread and covered it all with some olive tapenade.


Heaven. My reward. My treat. Salty, tangy, briny olives mixing with the milky creaminess of the cream cheese (mascarpone would be good!).

Scarfing them down at home, in a car and at the theatre. Olives running down my chin. I felt decadent - living on a rich Mediterranean treat. No bags of potato chips for me!

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I bought the tapenade. But if you'd like to try your hand at making your own, a simple recipe can be found here.

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Amid cars overheating, lovely open-faced youthful eyes staring at me during auditions, glorious autumn days, belly rubs for the dog and planning my daughter's 21st birthday, we have had lots of cuddles and nuzzles with Pip. (aka Pippin, Sir Pipster, Pipperoni, Pyip).

The little fellow does indeed have something nasty. And one can learn a lot in two weeks. Because there is no traditional treatment, he is being treated holistically by "my-friend-the-research-veterinarian" and we have decided that we will take all the Pip time we can get. Even when he is knocking over hot candles, climbing the chandelier, chasing the dog's tail and sneezing into my coffee and wine.

Italian Cheese Platter and Cats

We had (have) a cat emergency so I have not been visiting blogs. Kirsten's (daughter) little guy (cat) Pippin suddenly (very suddenly) took sick. Such is life. He was diagnosed with FIP - always fatal - but not positive so we are looking stuff up on the internet and I am spending my time cradling him. Meanwhile, in an effort to let life continue, I continued with my work for the Examiner. Work (especially with food) seems life-enhancing, Pip is on meds and better and there is another possibility- so we are playing a "wait and see" game. Hard - because we also have a very sick family member. On the other hand, we also had a 58th grand anniversary party for my husband's mother and father! Life is circuitous.

I had the most delightful interview/tasting sessions with Dexa Franks, the Cheese Specialist from Kowalski's. (A local grocer.) She helped me put together an Italian Cheese Platter with all the condiments. More information on the cheese and the interview can be found here.

Dexa is always all smiles at work. It makes spending money a lot easier!

The asiago with rosemary and olive oil is actually local (Satori is in Wisconsin). It's won many awards and is a good choice for a firm and slightly pungent cheese. I love to pair asiagos with Sicilian olives. It's close to a provolone.

The goat cheese of a choice was "Il Caprino" complete with shaved truffles! Good with a condiment or alone - very mellow and creamy.

Boschetto also has truffles. It is very mild - gentle. It's firm but not hard and also pairs very well with the condiments.

Piave is a hard cheese in the style of Parmiggiano - but not as grainy and suitable for eating alone (or with some pickled vegetables!)

This is sort-of-camembert (I know not Italian!) and sort of taleggio (yes! Italian!) and made in Mankato, MN. It has a wonderful nutty flavor (which pairs well with almonds) and is a good addition because every cheese platter should have a double-creamy cheese.

And of course you need a blue-veined cheese and Columbus's gorgonzola fit the bill. It is very creamy and spreadable and would do well with a marmalade or jam.

Rosemary crackers from La Panzanella was one of her choices for the cracker/bread portion. I would also thinly slice some rosemary olive oil bread and some ciabatta.

Panforte would be the sweet in the platter. I would love this with the taleggio.

And from Japan (mama Mia! I am straying from Italy) is a citrusy marmalade - made from the Yuzu fruit. It is really nice with the Boschetta and Piave - has a sparkly taste of little stars bursting in your mouth.

Scalia makes anchovy fillets with red peppers - a nice salty addition to complement the harder cheeses.

And a balsamic vinegar jelly for the softer cheeses and the goat cheese.

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I will be putting this all together Halloween weekend to try out for Thanksgiving. I'll let you know how it goes. Happy Halloween week all!

The sweet simplicity of a baked apple and a sweet award

I am betwixt and between getting ready for my new teen play Betwixt and Betweened to open locally (November 5th) and prepping for auditions for Stuart Little (opens December 11th). My beleaguered director finally had a whole week go by without anyone dropping out from the cast. And the director just learned that the activities director had no idea a play was being rehearsed in the school and did not allot for that. Hi ho the glamorous life indeed.

So I crave - simple. In season, a touch of sweet and warm. Baked apples. The Italians dress them with just a smidgen of honey, nuts and raisins. Italians certainly do know how to make sure their fruit shines! Enjoy!




BAKED APPLES: Serves 4
Core apples. Peel them halfway down (you can peel them all - but I like the peel to cradle the filling. In a small bowl mix (amount vary to your taste) 1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans), 2-4 oz raisins, 2-4 T honey and 1 t cinnamon. Stir till combined. Fill cavities of apples. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes (till brown). The inside of the apples turns into a sweet-tart autumns applesauce.

The aroma makes working with missing actors and confused activities directors a breeze! Serve warm - with a little cream if you like...

Or alone (my favorite).

Savor!

I woke up Saturday morning to something else to savor. Sam from My Carolina Kitchen. Her blog is as delicious as she is. While her focus is on food, she covers events, travel and drops enticing tidbits about the lives that she leads. Head over to her kitchen and be prepared to be enchanted.

I know many of you prefer to be "award-free," so if I err - be kind. I never think of these awards as being exclusive. There is no competition or voting and I feel the bloggers share these graces around.

Here are the rules as they were presented to me from Sam:

- Post the Honest Scrap award on your blog. Present this award to seven others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.
- Tell those seven people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines and ask that they link back to you.
- Share "Ten Honest Things" about yourself.

Since I do not want this to be too much about me: I am a night person who writes better in the morning. I live with a lot of fur! I wish someone would pay me for worrying. Pasta and cannolis=magic. I grew up surrounded by Gresios but the Scottish and Russian/Austrians relatives were pretty amazing, too. There are things that I hoped would happen, never did happen and I am fine with that. There are things I never thought would happen that did happen and I am blessed by that. I am rediscovering poetry. I can watch a bird for hours. I wish I knew then....

I would like to share this with:

Bunny at Bunny's Warm Oven (I just made her delicious chicken)

Rebecca at Chow and Chatter for her flavorful recipes also build a healthy body

Ruth at I Love Flavour, Me! whose tales are as delicious as her food

Velva at Tomatoes on the Vine whose food has a natural grace

Miranda at My Food and Live Encounters who delivers mouth-watering recipes

Natasha at Five Star Foodie for constant inspiration

Janet at Meatless Mama for making me crave my vegetables

Pasta with Shrimp and Vegetables

In case you were wondering ... Yes. That's another snowfall. Granted, it's being washed away by the rain now - but how silly is that picture? Someone needs to tell Mother Nature the date. Or bring her sacrifices - maybe a pasta dinner.

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. It looks a wee bit intense - but do remember:

- you can prep the vegetables ahead of time and throw all together when you serve

- the shrimp goes in with the pasta

- you can change the vegetables easily

- you can eliminate the shrimp

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It makes a splashy presentation and I bet even Mother Nature's snowy fury would subside after she had some of this.

Think of it as a Pasta Primavera - but for all seasons.

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Pasta with Shrimp and Vegetables: Serves 6 (or more)

3/4 pound penne pasta

1 lb shrimp (I do like jumbo for this), peeled and deveined

1/2-3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

4 carrots, cut into matchstick pieces

20 green beans French cut (or ... cough expensive haricot verts)

1 jar marinated sun-dried tomatoes (optional - I like the sweet though)

1/2 cup basil pesto

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You may prepare the vegetables while the water boils for the pasta or do it ahead of time. Just cook the pasta according to package instructions. Warm a little olive oil and add the characters. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes - until tender. Blanch the green beans - 1 or 2 minutes in boiling water depending on their size. (Sometimes, I actually make the green beans more tender by slicing them in half and taking out the seeds. Sometimes.)

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About three minutes before the pasta is done, add the shrimp and cook all together. When pasta is done, drain and add all the vegetables. Toss with the feta cheese and the pesto. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper and serve.

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The tangy cheese, garlicky pesto and sweet vegetables make me want to dance the tarantella through the Italian countryside. A nice thought for a snowy October evening.

If so inclined (truly not obligated!): Tuscan-inspired sirloin tip roast