Back when I lived in Boston the gang and I usually made a stop at the Delux Cafe at least once a week. If we ate, I always had the chips and fruit salsa — this is my homage to those nights of little bites and cheap drinks in a smoky bar.

1/2 red onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 jalapeño pepper finely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
1 small apple finely chopped
1 plum or nectarine finely choped
1 cup red grapes halved
2 or 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
juice of about 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and store in the fridge for a few hours before eating to allow all the flavors to marry. I like to serve with freshly fried flour tortilla wedges.

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This is my version of a recipe from Vegetarian Times from 1995 or ‘96. I don’t have the issue, but this is how I’ve been making it the last few years.

1 cup apple juice
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeño chopped
4 or 5 stalks celery, chopped
28 oz. can tomatoes, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
28 oz. can black beans
28 oz. can red beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ cup honey
Salt and pepper
Monterey jack or cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream

Sauté onion, garlic and jalapeño in apple juice until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chopped celery and cook another 5 – 10 minutes until tender.

Add in all other ingredients (except for cheese and sour cream) and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve hot topped with grated cheese and dollop of sour cream.

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I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite Food Network hosts, George Duran.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degreesIn mixer, beat butter until smooth. Slowly beat in white and brown sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Then add in vanilla and pumpkin puree.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.

Slowly beat flour mixture into the wet batter. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto silpat lined cookie sheets. Bake for 15  minutes.

What did I change from the original recipe? I used a combination of AP flour and cake flour to make sure the dough stayed tender. I also substituted semisweet chips in place of the milk chocolate. The cookie is fairly sweet and the milk chocolate chips overpowered the cookie the first time I made these. I also added nuts.

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After doing a tiny bit of research on how to make my own beignets, I realized there are two varieties; yeast and no yeast. Does anyone know if one recipe is more “authentic” than the other?

I’ll have to do some digging on the history and current variations.

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We made a quick trip to Rochester for Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, chicken, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, artichokes and rice stuffing. And then there was dessert - pie, cakes and cookies…

Grandma’s sugar cookie recipe, icing by me:

Cream in mixer:
1 C softened butter
1 ½ C sugar
4 eggs

Stir in
4 tblsp cream
2 tspn vanilla or lemon ( I use lemon)

Slowly add
5 C flour
1 tspn salt
½ tspn baking soda

Chill dough for several hours. Roll out to approx 1/8 ” and cutout. Bake at 400 for 6 - 8 minutes.

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I made the Vegetarian Times recipe for red thai curry with eggplant but made a few changes. I left out the red peppers and tofu and instead added green beans, zucchini and shrimp. Served with a side of brown rice.

Overall I think it turned out pretty good for my first try with Thai. I have a cold so it’s hard to tell if it’s flat and needs more salt, or I simply can’t taste today.

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I adapted this maraschino cake recipe from my 1947 edition of the BH&G Cookbook. That recipe called for shortening — I did an even substitute with 1/2 cup of butter and left out the nuts. I filled them with lime jello and they will spend the evening chilling. Tomorrow I frost.

Of course I tasted a cupcake fresh out of the oven and was happily surprised at how tender these cakes turned out. I was a bit worried as it’s a one-bowl recipe and the flour mixture spent a total of 4 minutes in the mixing bowl. With only egg whites it’s slightly dry, but the jello should take care of that.

Frosted pictures tomorrow.

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It’s that time of year when eggplant is bountiful and cheap. I’ve been throwing the purple, white and graffiti variety into everything from pasta dishes to salads. I haven’t made any Baba ganoush yet, perhaps this weekend.

Here’s a list of some of dishes that look tasty:
Eggplant Croques Monsieurs
Eggplant Fritters
Red Thai Curry with Eggplant
Thai-style Pork with Eggplant

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