Carrot Sheet Cake, Part 1

I thought about calling this recipe a "simplified carrot cake," since it's not the more traditional layer cake but is instead a sheet cake, baked in a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking pan. It's certainly easier--but just as moist and irresistible.

Last week, I needed to make a dessert to take to the book group I lead at the Norfolk, Connecticut, library. (It was the first discussion of four over two months on George Eliot's MIDDLEMARCH. We're nothing if not serious!) I thought about this recipe from a long time ago, back when Bruce created it for THE ULTIMATE COOK BOOK. I dug it out and voilà, the American classic, reinvented as a somewhat simpler sheet cake.

We'll do take this recipe in two parts: in this post, the cake; then the frosting, a cream cheese wonder. As you know, carrot cake is a ridiculous indulgence. No, you shouldn't eat it every week. Or even every month. But once in a while, it's nice to dig out an old stand-by and have at it. I hope you'll try this one--and it'll become one of your favorites, too.

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Chicken Soup, Thai-Style

It's that time of year in New England. We want to hunker down, stay in, have a big bowl of soup, and go to bed early. We're in wool most days and we're shoveling out as often as not.

Still, there's something gorgeous about this time of year. The beech and birch trees, like bare white or gray poles, extend to the robin's egg sky. The crystal white snow is never dirty in the country, like that city slush of grime and God knows what, but instead is a pure canvas, brilliant and eye-popping. Even the chill is a morning pick-up. My first deep breath when I let the dog out is the moment I know I'm really awake. It's better than coffee!

Here's a six-serving soup I made for Bruce on a recent cold evening. Leftovers were terrific the next day! It's not an authentic Thai preparation but a good, old-fashioned, American soup, renovated with Thai flavors. It's one of the many soups in COOKING KNOW-HOW. It's sure to become a winter favorite at your house.

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Mexican Bulgur Salad

I used to sneer a bit at new years. Sad but true. But I didn't get the point. An abitrary mark in the planet's orbit, a mere day no different from any other. If it had fallen on the vernal or autumnal equinox, then maybe it would have made sense. As it was, I didn't get it. Resoutions? No way. I was in bed by 11:00 p.m.

Okay, I'm still in bed by 11:00 p.m. But I get the day a little more. It's a chance to take stock, to look back, to look ahead. It's a chance to breathe, particularly at the end of a busy holiday season.

I'm still not too good at resolutions, but here's one for you: get out of the kitchen more quickly. You know we're all about that around here. After all, we teamed with COOKING LIGHT to write the tome on the matter. (Click here if you want to know more.)

So in keeping with a new year filled with great, healthy, but fast meals, here's one of my favorite from the book: a bulgur salad with a Mexican flare, complete with a citrus-jalapeño vinaigrette. It's just the thing for lunch--at home, at your desk, or on the run. It's also so easy that you only have to turn on your stove to boil water! Now that's the way to start the year off right.

For four servings, combine 1 cup (160 grams) fine-grain, whole-grain bulgur in a large bowl with 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. (Never had whole-grain bulgur? Check it out here.)

Stir in 1 3/4 cups (425 grams) drained and rinsed canned black beans, 1 small chopped zucchini, 1 cup (125 grams) corn kernels, 3/4 cup (85 grams) chopped Monterey Jack, and 3 tablespoons minced cilantro leaves.

In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice, 1/4 cup (60 ml) lime juice, 2 tablespoons seeded minced jalapeño chile, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Pour this over the bulgur mixture; toss gently. Serve the salad at room temperature or cover and chill for up to 2 days.

Quiche Lorraine Muffins

What’s the only thing better than the smell of muffins baking? Maybe the smell of bacon frying! When Bruce and I were writing THE ULTIMATE MUFFIN BOOK (click here to check it out), we decided to combine the two for these Quiche Lorraine Muffins, a baking twist on the classic egg.

For this post, I’m so glad to be a part of Muffin Monday, an initiative by Anuradha of Baker Street. What I’m bringing to the 6 month anniversary party is a savory muffin. Go out to Baker Street and check out all the fun!

Savory muffins may be a surprise for some people. Yes, there’s still sugar in the batter, mostly to build good crumb and structure with the eggs and oil. That said, because savory muffins are so loaded down with “extras”—here, with bacon, onion, cornmeal, and cheese—they don’t necessarily develop the characteristic puffed top of sweeter muffins.

Still and all, they’re a treat for breakfast—or a great mid-day break. Even better these muffins freeze well. Seal them in a plastic bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw several under a clean kitchen towel on the counter overnight and you’re ready for a savory breakfast the next morning!

Let’s get to the recipe.

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Lemon Chess Pie

I'd probably rather have a lemony dessert than a chocolate one. I know: I'm nuts. But it's this thing I have with sour. We go way back.

Lemon chess pie is a Southern classic. I brought it to book group last week. We were discussing HUCKLEBERRY FINN. Seemed appropriate, this Southern favorite.

People from Virginia claim the pie as a statewide right. I also had it "coming up" in Texas. But I did a little research this weekend and found that some of the first printed recipes are in nineteenth-century New England cookbooks. Woops. Well, traditions get "swapped around" as Huck would say.

As to the name, some claim it's a dialectical derivation of "just." As in: "What is that?" "It's just pie." "It's jest pie." "It's jess pie." "It's chess pie."

No matter where or what the tradition, my version of chess pie is made without corn syrup--more real food, please. So the top is a little browner than the cafeteria versions prominent across the South. And a little less gelatinous. Mine's also got lots of lemon in it to balance the sweet.

It's about the best dessert for a winter day. Or just about any day. Make the coffee. Chess pie is almost ready.

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Cider-Stewed Chicken with Root Vegetables

It's a bright, clear, late-fall day here. Gorgeous. (Yup, that's our backyard.) The sun is glinting off the tree trunks. The leaves are all down, as you can see. (Except for the pines, of course.) But the air is so fresh. It almost feels new. Have you ever breathed in air that somehow seemed new? Do you know what I mean?

These are the late days of fall that we savor in New England. Our bits of heaven. The tourists are gone: the summer renters, the leaf-peepers. The roads are empty. Really, if you want to visit New England, plan a trip around this time of year. You'll have the place to yourself. And you can end up with some glorious days.

If you can't get to New England soon, try this traditional dish from our neck of the woods: chicken stewed with apple cider. It's a great, fall perk-up, a lovely dinner whenever the air is crisp. For about 4 to 6 servings, here's how it goes:

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Make-Ahead, Seriously Multi-Grain Muesli

As the holidays head toward us, I wish each and every one of you a happy, blessed season, filled, not with things, but with the people and comforts that bring you peace.

One of the things that brings me peace is breakfast. No joke. I have it every morning. I don't skip, even when we're on photo shoots or at publicity events. For me, breakfast is a quiet time--to read, to write some emails to friends, just to sit with the dog and enjoy the morning.

At home, he and I have a set routine. We come downstairs. I let him out, bleary-eyed, then fix his breakfast. Then I make myself a French-worthy bowl of cafe latte and some whole-grain cereal of some sort. In the warmer months, it's granola (which you can find here). In the colder months, it's muesli.

Both are make-aheads that Bruce has squirreled back in the pantry for the weeks ahead. After the jump, I'll tell you how to make some of the tastiest muesli you can imagine.

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Goat Butter

As you know, we wrote the book on goat. The first ever. And the book's about way more than just goat meat. It's a book about goat dairy, too. That means goat cheese. And yes, goat butter.

Goat butter is fantastic! And I got to tell the world that on a chow video. Check it out. And check out goat butter, too. Use it in brownies, anything with chocolate. You'll be astounded. Promise. I know where you can find a recipe. Just click here.

Turkey Burgers

We're so excited about our newest book, COOKING LIGHT THE COMPLETE QUICK COOK. Given the number of interviews and such we've had in the last few days, it appears other people are, too.

One of my favorite recipes in the book is for turkey burgers. We're getting to the recipe, but if you want to see us in a video making these burgers, click here. (And what's with my hair?!?)

No matter how much I love turkey burgers, there's a problem. They can turn into hockey pucks, hard little disks without much juice at all. Yuck. They might be quick, but they're not good. And that's nobody's idea of dinner.

We've come up with a solution: add some rolled oats. Yep, the whole grain offers lots of great moisture to the burgers, keeping them tender and juicy.

Once you've got the burgers, all you need are toasted onion rolls, sliced tomatoes, and crunchy lettuce.

So here's the skinny:

Mix 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey, one 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup finely chopped sweet onion, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 large, lightly beaten egg whites in a big bowl. Form this mixture into 6 equal patties.

Spray a large grill pan with nonstick spray and set it over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook for 6 minutes on each side or until done.

And you're done, too. That's a great dinner! Quick and healthy. What could be better?

THE COMPLETE QUICK COOK

Cooking quickly. More efficiently. With ease. And making meals that are both healthy and tasty. Taken together, isn't that really everyone's goal?

Well, problem solved. Because the answer's almost here. In fact, I think it's already shipping from amazon--although I suppose they're jumping the gun with excitement, too.

We're so excited that our latest book--the third out this year! COOKING LIGHT THE COMPLETE QUICK COOK. As the subtitle says, it's "a practical guide to smart, fast home cooking."

Written by yours truly. Well, with Bruce, of course. He's the chef master-mind here.

We've written for the magazine for almost a decade--and we're now given a chance to show our stuff in this book, a guide stuffed with witty and practical know-how.

I wrote over 300 tips and secrets, gleaned from having written twenty-one books in twelve years. There are over 250 recipes, made to both the magazine's and Bruce's exacting standards. And more than 400 photos. Breakfasts, lunches, salads, desserts, stir-fries. There's even a chapter on quick--yep--dinner party fare.

If you've ever wanted a manual for how to cook more efficiently--and stay healthy, too, in the spirit of COOKING LIGHT--then this is your book.

Mine, too. I'm actually making the chicken and apricot skillet sauté tonight for dinner. Want to join me? Click on the book above and get your copy!