Link to Recipe for Mexican Chocolate Pots de Creme
I made this one night a few weeks ago and my friend and her boyfriend. They thought it was one of the best desserts they had ever had.

Recipe for Herbes de Provence

One of my favorite chicken recipes is from Edna Lewis’s cookbook; In Pusuit of Flavor. It a roasted chicken rubbed with butter, then rubbed with a mix of salt, pepper, dried thyme and Herbes de Provence.  Many times I have found myself without Herbes de Provence, especially when I am out of the country. So I did some research on what exactly is in this herb mix. Well I came across many versions but my favorite is this one with lavender in it. Enjoy! Oh here is the link to my favorite roast chicken recipe from Edna Lewis. Now you can really enjoy, Bon Appetit!
Recipe for Edna Lewis’s Roast Chicken

Recipe for Herbes de Provence.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon chervil
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon summer savory
1 teaspoon lavender
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon mint
2 powdered or chopped bay leaves

Spaghetti With Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper (Cacio E Pepe)

I came home late one night from a very busy night of delivering babies and I was hungry but too tired to cook anything huge.  I knew I wanted pasta. I had some jarred sauce, but unless I was starving that was not going to do! I remembered seeing this recipe online from Cooks Illustrated. I dug it out of my file and whipped it up, and I mean mean whipped!  It was soooo easy to make and very, very tasty!! (Cheap too) I didn’t realize there was a difference between American Romano Cheese and imported Pecorino Romano, I had both in my fridge and the recipe is correct, the domestic one tasted bland. So by all means use Imported Pecorino Romano cheese. Also be sure to use a Microplane Zester-Grater I use it for everything. This is one of my most used tools, besides a whisk and spoon.

Knowing this recipe came from Cooks Illustrated, you know it was tested, to make it perfect. Recipe for Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Black Pepper

Raspberry-Cherry Crumble Bars

Over the holidays we made a lot of cookies and bars. My friend Alex made some Raspberry bars and they were very good which made me remember this recipe for raspberry- cherry crumble bars, from the Art and Soul of Baking. These bars were amazing, the slightly sour cherry really helped tone down the sweet of the raspberry jam. They were crunchy and sweet and tart, a wonderful combination!!. Use old fashioned oats for a hearty crunch, quick oats for a tender bite, but don’t use instant oats, you will have mush. Recipe for Raspberry-Cherry Crumble Bars

Cabbage and Noodles

I get this box every other week from Farm Fresh To You, and in it is delicious seasonal produce from the Capay Valley. Since it is winter I have been getting a lot of cabbage. What to do with all of this cabbage? Well I ran across this recipe from Arthur Schwartz for Cabbage and noodles and I was intrigued. Cabbage and noodles do they really go together? Well after reading this recipe I knew I had to try it. I was pleasantly surprised. So was my daughter, she ate the all the leftovers, which is a rarity. In Arthur Schwartz’s  cookbook; Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking, he talks about the climate of Eastern Europe and how “brutal” the cold is and that cabbage is an easily storable vegetable, that Jews could eat most of the year.
In his recipe for Cabbage and Noodles he uses an ingredient called “schmaltz” which is rendered chicken fat. It can obtained at kosher markets and specialty stores. I used butter, but Schwartz calls schmaltz a “defining flavor in the Yiddish kitchen.” Recipe for Cabbage and Noodles

Bread Pudding with Apple, Raisins and Figs

I made this Apple,pear, fig bread pudding for New Years Eve and hands down, all of us thought this was the best bread pudding, we had ever had. Not too sweet, just perfect. The fruit marinated in brandy (I didn’t use pear brandy) really made the dessert. I will make this often. Here is the recipe for
Bread Pudding with Apple, Raisins and Figs

Julia Childs Potato Leek Soup

This morning I wanted to use up the leeks that I had received from the Capay Valley Organic Produce box that I get every other week. Well what better way than to cook a batch of Julia Child’s Potato Leek Soup. Super creamy and yummy. I didn’t add anything but potatoes, leeks, salt, water and cream. I pureed it in the cuisnart. My almost one year old granddaughter loved it.
Here is the recipe and adaptations of Julia’s famous soup. Bon appetite!
http://mymomscooking.wordpress.com/soups/julia-childs-potato-leek-soup/

Spaghetti and Meatballs All’Amatriciana

I made this recipe for my mom last night. I followed the recipe exactly, but before I made the sauce,I scraped and wiped out the pan to remove the burned pieces. I also used organic, grass-fed hamburger and Nieman Ranch, uncured, apple-wood smoked bacon. I used a nice Sauvignon Blanc for the white wine. After simmering the meatballs for a half an hour the taste was wonderful. Not too spicy (but we love spicy food.) Even my one year granddaughter liked the meatballs. I served it with crusty bread for soaking up the juice and a lemony salad.
Recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs All’Amatriciana

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Today we tried a new recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake, very simple yet yummy. So easy I made it with my 0ne year old granddaughter, Austin on my hip. She wanted to help!!?? Any way this coffeecake, got rave reviews from my friends at work. I think next time, I will add lemon zest to the batter.

For cake

• 1/4 cup salad oil
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For topping

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup broken walnuts
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 3/4 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

Combine salad oil, egg, and milk. Sift together dry ingredients and add them to the milk mixture. Mix well. In another bowl, combine all ingredients for topping.

Pour cake batter into a greased 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Spread blueberries evenly over batter. Top that with the cinnamon nut mixture. Bake in 375°F oven 25 to 30 minutes.

Dining at Ad Hoc Restaurant

Last Thursday, Karen and I had our 1st experience dining at Ad Hoc Restaurant in Yountville. It was amazing…  I could eat here every night and never get tired of it.
We started out with a first course of Grilled Quail Salad. It was served over frise with a wild mushroom ragout, fresh goat cheese, huckleberry sauce and crisp garlic chips. It was delicious. If hadn’t been in a  nice restaurant I would have picked up the quail and sucked the bones. It was that good!!
The main course was a Marinated Skirt Steak, served over golden turnips, rutabaga, swiss chard puree, creamy polenta, fried parsnips topped with herb-pine nut relish.
The next course was a Tome D’ Aquitane Cheese with Wildflower honey and palladin toast.
The Dessert course was a Bourbon Apple Tart served with a Butterscotch sauce and a cinnamon whipped cream.
We paid the corkage fee and brought our own wine, the corkage fee was $20. Then we had a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc with our honey and cheese. We had a nice Riesling with our Dessert. We had a great experience!! I hope I get the Ad Hoc cookbook for Christmas. 

I can’t wait to go back and have their Fried Chicken. Ad Hoc serves it every other Monday. (I have the recipe, here on my blog)

The cost for our dinner was about $170 including tax and tip. Next time I want to try more wines off their very extensive wine list. I can’t recommend this restaurant, enough