Ahh, the three B's: Bacon, Beets, and Brussels Sprouts, all stuff I love. Right now, brussels sprouts can be found in the farmer's market, on the stalk, a signal of freshness. I like smaller ones, around 1" in diameter but the larger ones are just as good, but you do have to halve them to ensure even cooking.


Bacon, Beets, and Brussels Sprouts

• 2 beets (11 oz)
• 12 ounces small brussels sprouts (or halve the larger ones)
• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (375 degrees F with convection).
2. Put the beets in a tupperware container with lid and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let it rest for 2 minutes. Turn the beets over and re-cap the tupperware and microwave for another 2 minutes. Let it rest for 2 minutes and check that a small knife pierces easily. If it's done, just let it cool. If not, microwave for another minute.
2. While beets are cooling, bring salted water to a boil in a 4 quart pot. Boil brussels sprouts for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
3. Peel beets and dice.
4. Heat bacon in a large cast iron pan over medium high heat and stir around for about 2 minutes. Add brussels sprouts and beets. Season to taste and stir for the fat to coat, about 2 minutes, then place in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until browned nicely. Serve immediately.

This recipe is an adaptation of Blueberry Lemon Cream Tarts (from epicurious.com) and we really love them. The one downside is that the crusts are really crumbly and two out of four almost fell apart. I'm guessing that using organic graham crackers exacerbated the problem. I actually like the texture of the crumbly crust though, while Lon doesn't. For me, it achieves a lightness and elegance. We both agree that ultimately, it's a REALLY easy tart recipe that will impress your guests.

Raspberry Lemon Tarts
~4 tarts

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 6 ounces raspberries
  
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

* You will need 4 (4") nonstick fluted tart pans.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F with convection) with a baking sheet on middle rack.

2. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter, and granulated sugar in a bowl with a fork until combined well, then press mixture with your fingers and back of a spoon evenly and firmly onto bottom and up side of each tart pan.

3. Put tart pans on preheated baking sheet and bake crusts until slightly darker, about 10 minutes, then cool 10 minutes on a rack. Remove to serving plates very carefully.

4. While crusts cool, whisk together sour cream, brown sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Beat cream cheese in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, then add sour cream mixture and zest, beating until just combined well.

5. You can either spoon cream cheese filling among tart shells or pipe it in. Top with raspberries and dust with confectioners sugar.

When lobster is $3.88 per pound, you buy it; especially in New York City. So I wasn't surprised when Jessica and her mom came home with three 1.2 lb lobsters. We were all pleased with how fresh and flavorful they were. As we tore the shells off, we were careful to collect all the of the pieces for stock. Where others may see a garbage pile of shells, we see luxurious stock waiting to happen.


I love making stocks. No careful chopping or measuring -- just throw everything in a pot with water and come back every hour or so to say "hi." Here's a quick and dirty "recipe" (I didn't measure anything) for lobster stock. Over the next few days you'll likely see a few lobster stock related recipes on FoodMayhem :)

Lobster Stock General Instructions

1. Pile every non-edible part of the lobster into a stock pot (shells, legs, cartilage, fat, etc.); along with whole peppercorns, roughly chopped yellow onion, lemon, carrots, and garlic. Fill with cold water to cover everything, plus a bit extra.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a decent simmer and leave for 2-3 hours (stir once an hour).
3. Let cool for 30 minutes, then remove all large pieces (I use a spider). Then strain through cheese cloth at least twice, I change the cheesecloth between straining. Refrigerate.
   

I got a bag of frozen bay scallops at Trader Joe's and they were quite large for bay scallops. The first half of the bag was sauteed and thrown in a pasta, which was ok, but we really hit a home run frying the rest. They're bite size and fun to pop in your mouth. My mom practically jumped up and down about these.

Cornmeal Crusted Bay Scallops
~3 to 4 appetizer size portions

• oil for frying
• 7 ounces (23 pieces) frozen bay scallops, defrosted
• 3 tablespoons potato starch
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Instructions

1. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
2. Drain scallops and toss with potato starch until all pieces are coated. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Beat egg in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine cornmeal, ancho, garlic, and parsley in a another small bowl.
4. Dip scallops in egg mixture. Let excess drip off and toss with cornmeal mixture. Shake off excess and fry (in batches, depending on the size of your pot). Scallops are done when they float, about 1 minute. Season with salt to taste and drain on paper towels. Eat immediately.

I was about to take a picture at Ajisen Ramen (Flushing location) Ajisen Ramen when my camera battery died. Oh well, no loss. The ramen isn't that good. My mom wanted to show me the new modern building in Flushing, Queens Crossing. There are a few restaurants and shops on the ground floor and several floors of offices on top.

My mom had the Spicy Miso Ramen; I had the Ajisen Deluxe; each under $8. The noodles are like thin spaghetti. The soup is rather boring. None of it tastes Japanese and they aren't really worth describing. On the one hand, it's hard to complain when it's pretty inexpensive. On the other hand, you're in the heart of Flushing where great food is everywhere at the same price. So yea, if you are in Flushing, do not waste your time here.

You often see us provide critical review of restaurants, but really we're just looking for a great dining experience. Well, finally it seems like someone out there has found that experience. And it's Lily's Cafe Restaurant. The cleanliness seems to be an issue, but the pricing is unique. Read the review at MomLogic.

I was digging through our shelf of vinegars (I do have a whole shelf worth of vinegars) and noticed one I bought a while ago but never opened - Fiorucci Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar.

As expected, it tastes like strawberry flavored balsamic vinegar. It's already lightly sweetened (by syrup, unfortunately) so it doesn't need much.


Strawberry Dressing
~2 servings

• 1 tablespoon Fiorucci Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seed salad

Just whisk all ingredient together!

For salads, you know I hate writing amounts cause it's really flexible:

• salad greens (whatever you like)
• sliced strawberries
• shelled sunflower seeds

This simple salad is a really pretty bright red and green. It's a good one to keep in mind for Christmas. Don't forget to make more though. This recipe is just for two.

For those who have been reading for a while, you know I'm mildly obsessed with finding good coffee, which is no easy feet in NYC. I recently read an article in the NY Times, where Oliver Schwaner-Albright writes:

"A friend returned recently from San Francisco and raved about the coffee. But then he said the cappuccino at Gimme! on Mott Street in Manhattan is every bit as good.

I strongly feel that the West Coast wins when it comes to coffee. It not only has great roasters, cafes and baristas, it has a sophisticated coffee culture, where patrons know what they’re drinking and won’t accept an inferior drink no more than they would buy stale bread. New Yorkers are sadly lacking those standards. Not only will a New York cafe charge $2 for a burnt espresso in a paper cup, a New Yorker will pay for it, drink it and come back the next day.

But at my friend’s urging I went to Gimme!, and was duly impressed. The $3 cappuccino (organic milk is 50¢ extra), was delicious, but even more telling was when the barista apologized for taking so long: she didn’t like how the first shot came out so she threw it away and made a second. It was one of the few times I’ve seen a New York cafe strive for excellence.

Was it as exceptional as what I’ve had in California? Not quite. But it was awfully good, and now ranks among my three favorite cappuccinos in Manhattan."

Seeing as how I agree with most of what Oliver said (I too had my favorite cup of coffee in SF at Philz Coffee), I went to try Gimme Coffee Gimme Coffee, although my focus was more coffee than cappuccino. The coffee (their Platinum Blonde) was good, not great, but I drank the whole medium sized cup instead of throwing it out, which is saying something.

Like this article, I find many tauting the favorite spots for cappuccinos and/or espressos but what about just a good cup of coffee? So, I plead to New Yorkers; I'm a native, myself. I welcome any suggestions, preferably in NYC and accessible by subway. More importantly, I beg beg beg of you to stop forking over $2 or more for bad coffee. Don't accept mediocrity, brunt and acidic stuff, left out for too long. We need to take a stand or we'll never get the good stuff.

I spent a lot of time trying to think up a fancy butternut squash recipe. After much too much thought, I realized, my favorite way to have butternut squash is just simply roasted. It's almost too good to be true, but with little adornment, it's perfect just the way it is.


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (375 degrees F with convection) and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Peel, seed, and slice the butternut squash 1/4"-1/2" thick. Spread them across the pan and drizzle with olive oil and/or melted butter. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes. Toss the butternut squash and continue baking for another 10 minutes. If the slices are 1/4" thick, it may be done. If you sliced thicker, continue baking for another 10-20 minutes, until fork tender and browned nicely.

I've been seeing Lettuce Wraps grow in popularity at Chinese restaurants, now often served as a dish at banquets. We had a Clam filled Lettuce Wrap at our rehearsal dinner and a Shrimp and Pork filled one at Peking Duck Forest. The filling ideas are endless but based on what we had at home, I made this one. We both loved it.

Pork and Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
~makes 6-8 wraps

• 3 ounces ground pork
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup brunoised carrots
• 3.6 ounces chopped shrimp
• 2 teaspoons sa cha sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped mutsu apple
• 6-8 lettuce leaves (Boston or Iceberg), washed thoroughly

1. In a small bowl, mix together pork, soy sauce, corn starch. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a small wok on high, swirling around to coat the sides. Add onions and carrots and stir around for 30 seconds.
2. Add pork mixture and stir around breaking up the clumps until meat is brown, 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp and sa cha sauce. Stir around until shrimp turns opaque, 1-2 minutes. Stir in apples, heating for another 30 seconds.
3. Serve immediately on lettuce leaves.

The non-traditional touch here is the chopped apple, but to me, it's now essential. Some restaurants use water chestnuts, which I hate. Apple gives that little crunch, but a better flavor, a light sweetness, with a little tartness.

Sushi Yasuda is still keeping us on our toes, with two new pieces this time.

The Yari Squid is actually the same species as the one they always have, but right now they have one from Japan. The texture is a lot creamier, melting in your mouth, literally coating your tongue. The flavor is the same.


We've also had Wild Salmon Roe before, but this one was from the Chum Salmon. Each egg is a little bigger and lighter in color than the one from the King Salmon. The flavor is mild and smooth, but my favorite part is that each one needs to be intentionally popped. They are a bit stronger than usual so when you press down, you really feel the burst. Yum!

Some people love Cole Slaw and some people hate it. I used to hate it as a kid because the ones I had tried were overly dressed and soggy, like cabbage sitting in mayo soup. I didn't have a good one till some time during college but now I'm a fan, well sometimes. If your family like slaws, this one has a Thanksgiving touch to them, dried cranberries. It's easy to make. You can (well, have to) make ahead, and it's an easy dish to pack and bring to someone else's home. Enjoy!

Cranberry Cabbage Slaw
~serves 6

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dark honey
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Slaw

• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 2/3 cup craisins (or sweetened dried cranberries)
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
  
• 1/3 cup minced onion

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
2. Put cabbage, craisins, carrot, and onion in a container (7 cup capacity) with lid. Add dressing, cover, and shake vigorously. Store in refrigerator over night.

AskRedditFood: Does anyone find they prefer white over black pepper or vice versa?


Perhaps it helps to consider an analogy of red vs. green bell pepper. They are the same exact item, in different stages of ripeness. And although they are the same berry (peppers are in the berry family), they taste quite different. The chlorophyll still in the pepper (making it green) gives a slight bitter taste. Many other chemicals change during ripening as well, including acid and cellulose levels. The result is a slightly softer (texture) and sweeter (flavor) item.

The next question is whether you would use one in place of the other... and the answer is: sometimes, but typically not. Green bell pepper is a critical flavor component of many creole dishes, in which a red bell pepper has no place (just too sweet). And red bell pepper is often roasted to enhance it's natural sweetness, something which doesn't work as well with green bell peppers. They each have their own charm and use.

Back to the other berry (peppercorns are berries), which I consider in the same way as their big brothers, the bell pepper. Black peppercorns are the under ripe berry that is slightly cooked (both in water and then in the sun) until the skin turns black. When the berry ripens completely it is skinned and dried. So, actually, this is where the analogy ends. White peppercorns are just the seed of the berry, while black peppercorns are the whole berry. While at this stage, it's worth mentioning green peppercorns. Green is almost identical to black, but not cooked in the sun, rather it is brined, which maintains and enhances the natural green color.


So how do they differ? Well, different people debate the "spice" of each color pepper, the truth is they are identical and the other flavors are affecting peoples tastes. The skin contains chemicals which taste strong, often this is what people consider to be the true pepper flavor. Meanwhile the less intense white pepper actually has the same flavor that is just less intense.

In terms of uses, white pepper is often used in French cooking for white sauces, such as bechamel, in order to avoid seeing black specks. Also the creamy sauce doesn't need such a strong pepper taste. Green pepper has use in French cooking as well, specifically when making the wonderful dish: Steak au Poivre, which features crushed green peppercorns. Black pepper is the default pepper though in most French cooking.

In Asian cuisines, the default pepper is typically the green or white peppercorns, although black has been used for thousands of years in China. And in some provinces of the mainland you won't find any of these, but rather an unrelated version: Szechuan pepper, which is MUCH spicier. When I visited Thailand I saw only green and white pepper on tables.

In the US most people rely on black pepper for their dishes, it is definitely the default. And when I cook, I use it 95% of the time. I consider it almost as critical as Salt... which has many variants as well, but that's for another time :)

Last season we waited until Episode 7 of Top Chef before we made any commentary. However, we enjoy the show, despite it's numerous flaws. Several of the chefs have gone on to interesting careers including Hung and Harold. This year, Kasi recommended us posting some predictions and early thoughts.


After only the first episode, there are certainly some forerunners in the Top Chef race and some obvious losers showing up. Check out lots of clips on Hulu.

• Alex - Even though he starts this (alphabetically sorted) list, I can't remember much about him from the episode. I'm going to throw him in the middle, so he'll leave on episode 5.
  
• Ariane - She doesn't have the ego to be a top chef and her cooking skill and inventiveness seems pretty mediocre. I think we'll be seeing her go around episode 4.
• Carla - Hello trian wreck. I can't make heads or tails of what our lanky friend is doing on the show. I think we'll be seeing her leave next episode, 2.
• Danny - His argument with Stefan over vinaigrette... he's in trouble. But since he looks like a trouble maker they'll probably keep him around a while, bye bye in episode 9.
• Fabio - A chef from Florence -- the best culinary destination on Earth!? But he didn't win his showdown with Jeff, he's in trouble. We'll say Ciao Fabio in Episode 8.
• Gene - Way to go Tzatziki-come-Raita Gene! He's spunky and seems to have a natural direction, but he's raw. He won't win but he'll be around a while. He'll head back to Hawaii, but only after being the surprise contestant in the final three.
  
• Hosea - He didn't make much of an impression in the first episode, but my gut says he is going to be an underdog for a few episodes and then start shining. I think his light will go out around episode 12.
  
• Jamie - The gay trio troupe leader. I'm not sure why someone's sexuality would have a place in the kitchen, I guess it makes for good TV. Well, it was hard to get a sense of her actual cooking skill, I'm going take a guess and say she'll ride the rainbow back home on episode 13.
• Jeff - The nice hair guy from Niceville, FL (seriously) seems to be more worried about his style than his food. He'll get to fix his hair back at home when he gets kicked off episode 10.
• Jill - Jill is another one that just hasn't made an impression yet. I'll guess she departs on episode 7.
  
• Lauren - Well, she's already gone. We didn't get to learn much about her, except that she can't peel apples, she can't brunois them, and apparently can't cook them either. Episode 1: gone.
• Leah - Her comfort zone is squarely in the Italian category; we haven't seen yet whether she has skills in other areas. I'm going to guess the answer is they're lacking. However, she is trained and practiced, and I think that will carry her until the final three.
  
• Melissa - She struck me as a country bumpkin with minimal exposure to world cuisine. I think country & city will not mix and will dissolve around episode 6.
  
• Patrick - He was just a tad too junior to be on the show, but he had a cheery personality so he got in. But not much to say other than he's already gone in episode 1.
• Radhika - We have to disclaim that Radhika is a friend of a friend, so we were hoping she would rock the show. But frankly, we're pretty unimpressed, so she'll be leaving pretty soon, let's say episode 3.
  
• Richard - He was able to assemble a decent salad, but it was clearly not Chinese food. He'll hang out a while, but is not going to win. He'll lose in episode 11.
  
• Stefan - He is into detail, he knows how to work a knife, he makes phenomeal looking food. He'll not only make it to the finale, I'm calling Stefan as the winner.
  

Obviously, I have no way to know what will happen, but it's fun to guess. Astute fans will notice that I enumerated 14 episodes, but it's likely the season will only be 12 or 13 episodes long. That indicates that we will probably see two people go on a single episode in the future.

We've talked about Cafe Brama before, a place where I have enjoyed smoothies, dessert crepes, and cappuccinos. This was our first visit for a meal and I really really wanted to love it, but I left severely disappointed. We were with our friends, Steve and Yael, and now I'm embarrassed that we recommended this place. The experience had totally changed. The service was so confused. I think Yael had to ask for milk three times as her coffee sat their cooling.

At first, I was happy that each brunch order came with a choice of juice and a coffee/tea or capuccino (+$1). I know they use Looza for their juice, which we love, but Yael and I both ordered mango which tasted like some soap got dropped in it. We asked for a replacement but it still had the same problem. As for the capuccino, formerly my favorite, it was brought out luke warm and I ended up leaving more than half of it.

The staff, although nice, seemed rushed and unable to handle the almost full restaurant. Apparently the kitchen was so rushed, they didn't cut the rinds off the cheese in Lon's Country Ham Sandwich. Lon also had to ask about the home fries, listed as part of his plate on the menu. The waitress had to check the menu and then go get him the home fries.

This morning I smelled some bacon cooking down the hall and knew I had to have a savory breakfast. However, our fridge just wasn't complying with me, there was not much to work with except two big containers of strawberries; but as I said, my heart was set on savory. Down to the freezer I went, where I saw our bag of amazing, frozen shrimp -- bingo.


Curry Shrimp Scrambled Eggs
~serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 piece Star Anise
• 1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 cup Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 4 large Eggs
• 3 tablespoons Sour Cream
• 4oz Shrimp (10 pieces), de-tailed and roughly chopped
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper to taste
• Cilantro to Garnish
• 2 thick-cut slices of Sourdough, toasted
  

Instructions

1. In a 1 quart sauce pot (I used a Le Creuset, which is preferable for this), heat olive oil over low heat. Add star anise, curry powder, and red pepper. When aromatic add onion, garlic, and kosher salt; saute until onions are soft.
2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk eggs and sour cream until well-combined and foamy. Whisk in shrimp.
3. Turn heat up slightly to medium-low and stir in eggs mixture. Stir slowly as it cooks. Remove when it's to your liking. (Jessica likes wet scrambled eggs; I like dry.) Optionally, add some cilantro (fresh or dried) at the end to garnish.
   
4. Serve over toast.
   

MSN Health is running an interesting article listing the Top-20 Most Unhealthy Drinks. Starting out the list includes Vitamin Water as the "Worst Healthy Drink" and Sunkist as "Worst Soda". Later in the list includes a Jamba Juice drink with over 1,110 calories.

Topping the list is a drink with over 2,300 calories. Wow! I won't spoil the surprise about which drink it is, but I will mention that it has 73 disgusting ingredients and 66 teaspoons of sugar.

With all the different squashes in the farmer's market, it's a bit overwhelming. But fear not, just try them. It's fun. Carnival Squash is not one I'm familiar with but I dared to write a recipe for it anyway. (If it doesn't work-out, you'll never see this.)

For some reason, I'm very dissatisfied with the idea of just roasting or steaming all the different variety of squashes with some butter. We need more, MORE! (insert maniacal laugh here) So, here's my thought process: stuffed potatoes, yum, how about I stuff the Carnival Squash? Ok, totally not the same thing but go easy on me, I'm revealing my inner thoughts here. Yes, my inner thoughts are still only about food. Not much else goes on up there.

Chicken Stuffed Carnival Squash
~serves 2

• 1 carnival squash (about 1 pound 7 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 chicken legs, poached
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
  
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (350 degrees F with convection) and wash the squash thoroughly.
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place cut side down in a dish and fill with 1/2" of water. Bake for 30 minutes. While it's baking, hand shred the chicken. Set aside.


3. Remove from the oven and flip over. Put 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each squash half and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for another 15 minutes. Set each squash half (open side up) on a plate.


4. Heat a small saute pan with olive oil. Add onions and garlic and stir around until softened. Add chicken, chili powder, and cumin. Season to taste. Divide in half and fill each squash half. Serve.



I love the presentation of this dish. The skin of the carnival squash in beautiful and makes a natural bowl. Lon likes how this dish looks like a cornucopia. The squash itself has an interesting texture, almost like spaghetti squash, but the strands are not as defined. It's very sweet and works wonderfully with chili chicken.

As I mentioned, I'll be working on recipes for you to use this Thanksgiving. This one is not one of your grandma's recipes. It may seem a little out there and I won't lie, I was nervous making it, thinking, what if this is crap? I don't know where this idea even came from. Ideas just pop into my head from time to time, but just trust me. This is an incredible recipe. Lon was skeptical too, as he asked, what is that? Oh, and pumpkin, forget it. He was like, don't give me a big piece. But in the end, he loved it.

Pumpkin Lasagna
~4 main course servings or 6-8 sides

• 13 ounces fresh mozzarella (Belgioioso) , divided
• scant 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cup fresh sugar pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons dark honey (I used bamboo honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 8 (no boil) lasagna sheets (approx 8" X 4" each)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (350 degrees F with convection).
2. Shred 8 ounces of mozzarella and mix with ricotta. Set aside.


3. In a non-stick saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Add garlic and brown lightly. Stir in pumpkin, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and heat until warm. Remove from heat.


4. Spray a 8x8 glass dish with non-stick spray and smear a thin layer of pumpkin mix on the bottom.
5, Lay down two lasagna sheets side by side. Spread 1/4 of the mozzarella/ricotta mixture on top. Spread 1/4 of the pumpkin mixture on top. Repeat 3 more times.

6. Slice the remaining mozzarella and lay on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

We met up with Shruti and Ekta for lunch at Tamarind Tamarind, mainly because it's close to Lon's office. He's gone a few times and says it's hit or miss, but we agreed this visit was closer to the hit side. Their food in enjoyable, mostly because the meats and fishes are very tender, often marinated in yogurt. The flavors are pretty standard though and all the choices are rather similar. So, I guess I'm saying, it's enjoyable once, but would get boring if I went again.

I started with the Salmon Tikka (Nizami Machli Tikka), which was really perfectly cooked, tender and juicy, yes, marinated in yogurt.



'

Ok, I'm going to start working on recipes that you can use for Thanksgiving. One of my favorites, tried and true, is this Pumpkin Roll recipe. It's simple and is great to make ahead, even a week ahead.

Just yesterday, I made it using fresh pumpkin puree vs. canned pumpkin puree and was wowed by the difference. I thought the flavor would be different (the fresh is milder) but didn't think the difference in texture would be so dramatic. The canned pumpkin puree yields a more cake-like texture, while the fresh pumpkin gives you a much denser, more bread pudding like texture. Lon, who's not the biggest pumpkin fan, really liked this version (fresh pumpkin).

We brought it over to my brother's apartment for our friend, Janny's birthday party, where my brother also prepared strawberries. Lon decided to hollow it out and put some of the cream cheese frosting (from the pumpkin roll) in. Needless to say, the inside out cheesecake, was divine.

Five of us, Alex, Tammy, Tim, Lon, and I, met at A La Turka A La Turka for some long overdue catching up. Immediately, Lon and Alex were happy about the giant water goblets. I was happy about having a decent amount of light and table space. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find these days.

We started with the Mixed Appetizer Plate, which looks eerily similar to the one at Ali Baba. The Cacik was my favorite, thick and tangy. It seemed stronger than most. The hummus was a bit dry, the White Bean Salad standard. There was two made of eggplant. One was nice and smokey, the other flavored in tomato sauce (Soslu Patlican). The Acili Ezme was great but I wished for a tad more spice. For some reason, I can't remember the Spinach tarator.


Of course, all this needs to be eaten with bread. The first one brought out was dry and cold. The next two or three were warm, softer, and therefore better.

If you are buying and using pumpkins, you better not be throwing out the seeds. That's perfectly good healthy food, and easy to make. I'm a little obsessed with Moroccan Spices, but I couldn't help using them to roast some pumpkin seeds. It seems like such a natural combination.


Moroccan Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

• 1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds (from a 3 lb sugar pumpkin)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Moroccan Spice Blend
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (275 degrees F with convection).
2. Spread pumpkins seeds on a baking pan covered in aluminum foil.
3. Sprinkle with olive oil, Moroccan spice mix, and kosher salt.
4. Bake for 45 minutes.

As I mentioned, I got some Italian Sausages at Di Palo's. Lon used a few links the other day and told me they were extra lean, a bit too lean. With three links left and the weather suddenly dropping by 10 degrees, I decided on soup.


The beauty of soup is that you can throw almost anything in, using up whatever needs to be cleaned out. This soup contains onions, sausage, scallion, carrot, parsnip, canned plum tomatoes with liquid, white wine, and chicken broth. The result was hearty, healthy, and the perfect thing for this weather.

Rachel and Brandon met us for dinner at La Sirene La Sirene on Sunday night. The little BYOB Bistro didn't look all that appealing and the bench seats against the wall were uncomfortable. The menu did appeal to me, seeing some classics with some less common dishes mixed in, but they were out of the Hanger Steak and the Cassoulet, two of their most popular items.

I started with the Moules Rochelaises, steamed mussels with curry, apples, and light cream. The mussels were fresh and the sauce tastes just as described, wonderful for dipping bread in.










The Big Profiteroles au Bittersweet Chocolate was very good. Vanilla ice cream sandwiched in choux pastry, drenched in Callebaut chocolate. It hit the spot for me, rich and decadent, without being too sweet.