On this particular morning there were a few new faces and one of them came up to me with an empty plate and requested a few more flapjacks. A tall stringbean of a toehead with big blue eyes, he said, “how do you make pancakes? These are delicious. I’ve never had a pancake that didn’t come out of a box.”

I thought he was joking until I looked up at him from the stove and saw he was being serious. I couldn’t imagine what else he’s eaten out of a box but rather than grill him, I stepped him through making a new batch.

flour, salt, baking powder, egg, milk, a little vanilla
melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in your skillet, pour off the excess into your batter, begin pouring and flipping pancakes

“That’s it?” he asked, the wheels turning in his head.

“Yup,” I replied, the wheels turning in mine…

New Recipes This Week

Fresh Tomato Gorgonzola Soup: I’m not a tomato soup fan — too many childhood memories of the can, but this surprised me, especially since I had to use tomatoes from a grocery store in the middle of winter — can’t wait to try this with tomatoes from my garden. I didn’t add a lot of gorgonzola but it added a subtle flavor that was exceptional. Inspired by a cup I had in a local eatery (name escapes me), but I tried to approximate the flavors. See recipe.

Chicken-Tortilla Soup (Martha Stewart): I was excited about this one until I saw 2 cups of cilantro. I just can’t do it. But rather than pass on the soup altogether, I substituted basil. I know, I know, I’m trying to convince you this is not a blog about Italian food and then I go and take a traditional Hispanic soup and make it Italian, but I swear it’s just my aversion to cilantro. Anyway, the soup was great and hearty with the addition of chickpeas, corn and chicken!

Creamy Caramelized Onion Soup (Martha Stewart): what’s not to like? Onions, leeks, shallots and garlic, cooked to the caramel stage with vermouth or dry white wine and stock and a touch of cream…buzz it down and you’ve got velvet, baby!

Now I need to turn my attention to beef! Like stews and chili…

Bon Appetit/Feb 2010: is it me or is this issue outstanding? from the luscious cover of grilled cheese, short ribs & caramelized onion sandwiches to an entire article devoted to milk chocolate (I’ve already ordered Callebaut for the mousse), I must have over 10 recipes earmarked!

French Onion Soup — Barefoot Contessa — incredible, the best ever — substituted gruyere though for parmesan (it is a French soup after all)
Butternut Squash Soup — a family favorite: saute onion in butter, throw in 16oz. of squash, cover with chicken stock, cook until soft, buzz down with blender with a little curry, nutmeg, honey and a dollop of creme fraiche, serves 4
Curried Chicken and Carolina Gold Rice — inspired by Goose the Market
Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy — thanks to CooksCountry.com!
Fresh Ravioli with Egg Yolk nestled on a bed of ricotta filling — inspired by a picture I saw in a publication of Marlow & Sons (I think?)

*note: ever since I saw “It’s Complicated,” have been craving chocolate cake & chocolate croissants — go, see, you’ll understand — tweeted about this movie — the garden, although defying the laws of nature — is also to die for.

Sweet Potatoes — success! Noticed something munching on the sweet potatoes so I thought it was best to salvage my first “crop” and up they came, so vibrantly colored. I have “hardened” them off in the garage and now am storing them in a cool place. Served them with a pork tenderloin with a creamy sherry sauce. Delicious.

Onions — a bit of a disappointment, but hey, my first attempt. Not a size-able crop or size-able specimens, will definitely experiment with other varieties next year.

Leeks — success! however, are quite pretty and I make a mean potato-leek soup when the weather turns cold. Served with bacon, sharp cheddar and a dollop of creme fraiche.

Herbs — success! havested my woody herbs for drying including thyme, rosemary, sage, curry. I tied them in small bundles and they are hanging in my cellar. I want to use them for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.

What I learned:

1. Plan early and buy from reputable vendors when it comes to seeds or seedlings. We put in our first garden ever, late, and only had local vendors’ seedlings to choose from. I had no idea how long they had been sitting in their pots, so guessing maturity or harvest time was even more complicated. If I start them from seed, I’ll know when to pull them out of the ground!
2. My beautiful, new raised beds with their rich, pliable soil are a favorite of my squirrels. After all, easy digging to hide their nuts for winter. You wouldn’t believe the holes in my beds. Have to figure out how to keep them from burying walnuts — not good for my future vegetation.

roasted tomatoes — success: sweet, intense flavor, delicious yield
basil pesto — disappointment: too sharp, too much garlic
pulled pork — disappointment: using the high setting on my new and first ever slow cooker didn’t yield falling apart tender pork, in fact ultimately dry, tough
beef short ribs — success, cover recipe Bon Appetit, cooked to perfection, veggies puree’d into a luscious sauce, served over tender rice

What I Learned

1. from 2 of the recipes, low and slow is always better — a true exercise in learning patience, a virtue I would like to cultivate
2. when multiplying recipes, err on the side of caution and moderately increase strong ingredients
3. keep some type of cooking notebook, it will save you from making the same mistake twice
4. sometimes the least expensive or less common cuts are the tastiest
5. I have a lot to learn about my new All Clad crockpot