Rainy Day Cravings: PB + J AAF

Welcome to Day 2 of rain in Washington, DC.  Here is the thing, when it is raining I feel like blech.  I don't want to run, I don't want to think about how my hair is growing (wider/frizzier) by the moment, and I don't want to get wet (and in DC, cold).  All I want to do is read, watch, eat.  

Some might say this is the perfect weather for grilled cheese and soup.  Even that sounds too time consuming...  I want salty, crunchy, nutty peanut butter and sweet, fruity jelly.  

Here are some hometown favorites:

 

Please note, if you are ever making a PB + J sandwich, treat yourself right and do the trick my dad taught me: Toast some fresh Challah,  egg bread/brioche, and then slather both pieces with peanut butter and then both pieces with jelly.  The warm bread ups the flavor and out of this world comfort of this food and pairs amazingly with a cold glass of milk.

Bite courtesy of yours truly

How about this for breakfast?

 Pillsbury Waffle Sandwiches are nothing short of brilliant.  We do this a lot for breakfast or a mid afternoon/night time snack.

Lunchtime!

This clever design comes from  Serious Eats and NY's Peanut Butter Co - a restaurant that serves up so many PB & J sandwiches that they created one for every day of the year.  Photos of the clever creations are now on display at the Nutropolitan Museum of Art!

High Class PB & J?

This clever idea come from Bon Appetit's new blog the Kookery.  The clever concept was for choosy mom's with ever choosier kids.  Frankly, I think this works for 26 year old kids too..

Decadent PB & J

These Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups might be the most brilliant thing ever.  The deliciousness of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  Heavenly...

What do you crave for comfort foods?  How do you like your peanut butter and jelly time?

Apple Oatmeal Kugel

Over the long and sometimes warm and sometimes very cold weekend I spent a lot of time behind my stove.  I really like to cook over the weekends and sometimes you (I) cook too much.  I also really don't like to throw things away that taste great, and well, eating the leftovers to get rid of it all doesn't really do anyone any good.

So, as necessity is the mother of all inventions, a new recipe was born.  It's not exactly seasonal (apples really makes me think of the fall) but it is definitely comforting.

Apple Oatmeal Kugel*

Ingredients

2 cups cooked oatmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 - 2 apples chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1 egg

1 tbsp of brown sugar

1/2 tbsp almond butter (negotiable*)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turbinado sugar (optional)

Juice from a 1/4 lemon

1/8 cup of slivered almonds

Step 1: Breakfast.  If you're like me, when you woke up you thought about making something fun with low cholesterol oatmeal, but you have to have breakfast first.  So, you made an abundant amount of oatmeal. By the way cooking oatmeal is always a 2 (water) to 1 (oatmeal) ratio.  In this case I wanted a less watery version, so I went 3 cups of water, 2 cups of oatmeal, Mark and I both had a small bowl of oatmeal with toppings and about 2 cups of cooked oatmeal remained.  Don't throw out the leftover cooked oatmeal!

Step 2: Oatmeal Toppings.  While the water is boiling and the oatmeal is cooking, chop up your favorite kind of apple (mine is Honey Crisp - they are out of this world good).  Add the apples and raisins to a pan on medium heat with a smidge of butter (like a 1/4 of 1/4 tbsp).  Let the apples and raisins begin to soften and add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and continue to stir so that the fruit is completely covered.  For your breakfast take 1/8 cup of apples and raisins and reserve the rest for later.

Step 2: Dry Ingredients: After you finish your breakfast return to the pot where the oatmeal has now cooled.  Add the whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Combine all of these ingredients.  If the oatmeal is overly sticky - mine was - slowly add 1/8 cup of water at a time until it has a smoother consistency.

Step 3: Wet ingredients.  I included 1/2 tablespoon of almond butter in the oatmeal.  It added a warmer hint of color, but didn't change the flavor - this is totally up to you to include.  For a nutty flavor I'd recommend at least a tablespoon.  Add the egg and the brown sugar and continue to incorporate.

Step 4: Back to the apples.  The apples and raisin have cooled and should a soft golden color.  Bring the pan back to a medium-low heat and add the vanilla and lemon juice.  Cook the apples until the juice is absorbed.

Step 5: Bring it all together.  Combine the apples and raisins into the oatmeal and then spread the entire mix into a 9x9 baking dish.  If so desired, and I am sure it is desired, sprinkle on additional cinnamon, turbinado (raw) sugar, and some almonds.  Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.  

Here is the warning: your kitchen will have the warm, sweet smell of cinnamon, vanilla and apples.  You'll know how relatively healthy this little snack is and will have a hard time just eating one bite, but that's okay, because really (not just relatively) this is a pretty healthy way to go.

*So, I am calling this a kugel, because the flavor and consistency most closely reminds me of my Nannys' (grandmas' - they both make it) noodle pudding.  There are no noodles, so noodle pudding is the wrong name, and kugel kind of sounds funny, but it's pretty much what it is.  The other thing it is, is sweet, but not too sweet, healthy, but not boring, simple but not bland and probably something that will pop up on a holiday table of mine in seasons to come.

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

Eggplant Parmigiana is an all time favorite comfort food of mine, and a great vegetarian substitute for chicken parmigian and more filling than a similarly stacked lasagna.  The only downfall is that traditionally the eggplant has to be fried in oil before it is layered with delicious sauce and cheese.  Not so fast, it can also be baked which is healthier, takes up less "active" cooking time and doesn't leave your kitchen smelling like a fry house.

Eggplant Parmigiana Ingredients

1 Medium Italian Eggplant

2 Eggs
1/2 cup of All Purpose/Whole Wheat flour

1/3 cup of Italian style bread crumbs

1/3 cup of Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup of Skim Milk Ricotta Cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmigiana

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley/Italian seasoning

Set the oven to 350 degrees

Serves 6, or 4 very hungry eaters!

I cut the eggplant into coins about 1/4 of an inch thick and give them a light sprinkle of kosher salt.  Eggplant is full of water and the light sprinkle of salt helps them to release a bit of the moisture and and brings out the flavor.

At your work station set up a small bowl with two eggs, beaten, and a shallow dish with with the mixture of bread crumbs, grated cheese and few cracked of fresh ground pepper. 

Dip each coin of eggplant into the egg and then into the bread crumbs coating each slice on both sides.

With all of the prepared eggplant slice on a parchment covered baking sheet; bake in the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  After baking the eggplant will be softened, the edges browned and the bread crumbs crisp and golden.

While the eggplant is baking in a small bowl mix the ricotta cheese, some pepper, parsley, and Italian seasoning.  Now here is where the fun happens.  Grab a baking dish and your favorite sauce - if it came out of a jar, it's no big deal, I'm not telling anyone.  Spoon a thin layer of sauce on the base of the dish, add your first layer eggplant coins, another layer of sauce, and thin layer of ricotta cheese.  Repeat until you run out of eggplant.

On the top layer of eggplant add another layer of sauce, one more round of ricotta and some grated parmigiana. 

Look at those layers!  Where is the fork?

If you are preparing this on a Sunday for a Monday night dinner you can wrap this is tin-foil and keep in the refrigerator for a day.  If you're looking for a more instant satisfaction this can bake in the oven at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted on the top and the sauce is looking a little bubbly.

When you're ready to serve I like to portion out the stacks and serve with a fresh salad.  As they say in Italy, Buon Appetito!

I Just Want to Wear Sweatpants!

Less than a week ago the temperature was teetering around 75 degrees, I knew, it couldn't last forever. But this morning as I woke up Mark said to me, "you know its 30 degrees this morning," and that was enough to consider Caribbean real estate, or at least an extra sweater.

I have lived in DC for seven years, it is hard to believe time goes by so quickly, and every Fall transition it shocks me how cold it suddenly gets.  I go through the same cycle every year; look for boots, look for Uggs (which I have never purchased), look for a hat (and then resign that I don't really wear hats, although I love them).

This morning when I got dressed all I wanted was to wear my comfortable chunky sweaters and extra soft lounge pants to work, but clearly that wouldn't do - here are some finds for taking cold weather comfort beyond the couch.

More Mossimo...

Keep an eye out for ponte legging and pants; these are the extra thick, double knit pants (sometimes referred to as scuba knit) that not only hold you in, but they also keep you warm, and look more refined than a traditional knit stretch legging.

A sweater dress is a seasonal must have.  The tunic cut, and heavier knits are beyond forgiving for an extra slice of pie, and the accessorizing options are endless: scarves, jewelry, belts, all change the look of a basic sweater dress in an instant.

Pick up a soft, knit blazer.  It's warmer than a regular blazer and will serve double duty for weekend wear.

Looking for new boots?  Try out some of the shoe brands that specialize in comfort footwear, Aerosoles, Merrell, Uggs, and many more.  They have finally wised up and put out shoes that are almost as chic as they are comfortable.

It takes a bit more thought to get dressed in the fall and winter and still look pulled together and feel comfortable, but you have to admit your office isn't going to let you wear a Snuggie anytime soon!

Happy Fashionable Fall!