dailyfrosting

Good stuff that puts the frosting on the cupcake of your day


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Mother, Mom, Ma, Mama!

I’m a Mom or Mama gal. That’s what my girls call me and even though I may hear it a bazillion times in the course of a week, it always makes me happy (maybe at 3am not so much, but still). Sometimes I joke to my husband that I should carry a clicker like some kind of bouncer and just see ACTUALLY how many times a day I hear those words. Could be simultaneously entertaining and horrifying.

Whatever you call your Mom, Sunday is the day to call her something sweeeeeet. Treat her with a little extra blast of love and adoration. Remember all those places she drove you when you were a kid? Remember all the lunches she packed? Remember all the bowls of chicken soup she made when you were feeling under the weather? Yes. You. Do. Now it’s your turn. Cook up some of the recipes I offered early in the week (and today). Get some flowers and show the love. And with these quotes, share a few laughs together.

A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. ~Peter De Vries

“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.” ~ Calvin Trillin

“My mother’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.” ~ Buddy Hackett

“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?”-Milton Berle

“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” ~ Phyllis Diller

Now, as you are laughing, serve these with a big smile and it will be a  guaranteed lovely day….

Spring Frittata, courtesy of my dear friend Alena

3 medium new pototoes
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into wedges
pinch of chopped garlic
8-10 slivered basil leaves
6 eggs, lightly beaten
4 oz. goat cheese, broken into little chunks

Preheat oven to 375. Boil potatoes with a pinch of salt until tender (18-20 minutes). Drain and cool, cut into 1-inch cubes.

In a 10″ ovenproof pan over medium heat warm olive oil. Add onion. Saute until tender (about 5 minutes). Add potatoes, garlic and basil. Saute a couple of minutes more. Add eggs, salt and pepper (to taste) and goat cheese. Stir until just mixed lightly.

Bake in oven until frittata is set, about 20 minutes. Fritatta-licious!

And now for the Key Lime Bars, courtesy of Martha Stewart. These will have you swooning.

For the crust:
1 cup plus 2.5 Tb. finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
5 Tb. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
3 large egg yolks
1.5 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cups fresh lime juice (either Key or regular limes will work. Honestly, Key limes are a pain. Just use the regular ones)

Preheat oven to 350. Make crust. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Make filling: Mix egg yolks and lime zest together in large bowl with mixer.  Mix until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Then, mix on high until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice and mix until just combined.

Spread filling over cooled crust. Bake, rotating halfway through, until filling is set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Get read to fall in love.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the fabulous, creative, joyous, gorgeous, hilarious, somehow-juggle-it-all Moms out there. You are the shizzle.


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Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winna!

Everyone loves a sure thing.

As much as some people say they love change, we all love the comforts of the familiar. That’s why you reach for the same coffee mug when you have a cabinet filled-to-overflowing with them, why you hunker down to your Grandma’s chicken soup when you are feeling ill or even why our kiddos crawl into bed with the same ol’ stuffed animal until it’s raggedy and falling apart and you are almost coming to blows because you want to pitch the thing. Familiar, easy and guaranteed can be a good thing at times. And with that, today I’m going to offer you two recipes that are just that in my book. I’ve made them countless times (they are officially “in the arsenal”), they come out the same way each time AND are easy. Score! My gift to you on this lovely Tuesday.

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Roasted Asparagus-Martha Stewart Everyday Food

2 bunches asparagus, tough ends removed (you know how to do this, right? Bend the spear and where it snaps, that’s where you should cut it)
olive oil
3Tb. butter, cut into small pieces
12 oz. cavatappi or other short pasta
1 small log of goat cheese, softened (5 oz.), crumbled
2-3 Tb. snipped, fresh chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 450. Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Place asparagus on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and toss to cover all. Season with sea salt and pepper. Roast until tender, tossing occasionally, 10-15 minutes. Cut into 2-inch lengths.

While asparagus is roasting, generously salt boiling water. It should almost taste like salt-water for great pasta. Pretend you are at the beach. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Set aside 1.5 cups pasta water (don’t forget!!), drain pasta and return to pot.

In a medium bowl, combine goat cheese, butter, and 1/2 cup hot pasta water. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Add goat cheese mixture and asparagus to pasta. Toss to combine. If necessary, add some pasta water to thin out sauce a little so that every last little noodle gets covered and smothered. Garnish and enjoy!

Espresso Biscuits-Martha Stewart, from a million years ago
(This is one of my favorite cookie recipes EVER. I have made it more times than I can count and it always sends folks swooning. Think of tricked-out shortbreads and you’ll start to get the picture)

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dutch cocoa
1 Tb. finely ground espresso beans (OR just use good, strong, ground coffee. Works, too)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, cocoa and ground coffee. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the butter, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until creamy-dreamy. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Scoop out by the heaping, tablespoon-full, roll into little balls. Place balls onto cookie sheet and press down into them twice with a fork (a la peanut butter cookies, when you make them). They should be about half-dollar sized or just slightly larger. These are rich cookies. Bake for about 13 minutes, until just firm to the touch. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Serve with coffee, tea or ice cold milk. Just watch out, they are completely addictive.

I hope you enjoy these, because my hoard and I sure do. Bon Appetit (said in my best Julia voice)!

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