Comforting Book Club Menus for Rainy Days

"In times of stress, only excess will do." Ruth Reichel

Long Book-Like Post Ahead!  Recipes for Fried Chicken, Cold Potato Salad and Chocolate Cake are at the very bottom.

Wow!  Did I ever have a lot of fun this week, which is why it’s taken me so long to post anything.  For the Book Club menu I had it all figured out.  It was from Ruth Riechel’s book, Tender to the Bone because the need for some comfort food after what British Columbians have gone through, was in order and Tender to the Bone had a fried chicken and potato salad recipe I was eager to try – not so much for it’s adventure, but rather for it’s familiarity 

But then, one book would lead to another, and then to another and then by golly to another!  I started out looking for some comfort food to share and then by pure happenstance the book I recommended would lead to 3 more all with a very familiar theme:  

The innate need to either write or eat or both, when days feel uncertain.  

All three of these recipes are from the same author, Ruth Reichel.  The first two, Fried Chicken and Potato Salad are from Tender to the Bone.  The chocolate cake, appropriately bestowed, is 'The Cake that Cures Everything' is from her book:  My Kitchen Year, 136 Recipes that Saved My Life., all were absolutely delicious! I made some adjustments to the potato salad by adding an apple cider vinaigrette instead of just a white vinegar one and then tossed in some sauerkraut, and pickled red onions and it turned out beyond delicious!

Let’s begin with Ruth who was the editor for Gourmet Magazine back in the day and is also a chef and author. Her book Tender to the Bone is basically Ruth’s memoirs and food timeline woven together with fun stories from her youth to adulthood – starting with the fact that her mother was a horrible cook - and not just a horrible cook, BUT she had zero regard for food safe and poisoned a whole wedding party she hosted.  Ruth, her horrified daughter often went around to guests at her Mother’s parties, silently warning them not to eat say the chicken that sat defrosted on the counter for days.

However, Ruth would learn about delicious food from a variety of relatives, friends from school, her boyfriend, husband. 

Now here is where I got lost in a sea of books.  While further researching Ruth Reichel,  I would discover another one of her books, I'd not read, until now.  It was written as a cookbook once again filled with incredible stories, but this book was written while Ruth was going through a very dark time in her life.  

As editor of Gourmet Magazine, the powers that be decided to end the magazine’s 68 year run leaving Ruth and her colleagues without their job and in many respects, their identity.  The book I would find is called:  MY KITCHEN LIFE:  136 Recipes that Would Save My Life, (2015).  Holy!  As I began reading it, it reminded me of another book I went back to read, The Measure of My Powers: A Memoir of Food, Misery and Paris by Jacki Kai Ellis (2018). As I dug a little deeper it turns out both women loved and adored cookbook author story teller, MFK Fisher – a mentor to both.  

 

All three Authors turned to both writing and cooking to ease their depression and uncertainty.  I highly recommend reading all three authors if you need to curl up with something delicious to both eat and read to ease your worries. 

From the Fried Chicken and Potato Salad to the supremely delicious chocolate cake, these recipes are not fancy, but they are soulfully engaging, familiar and reassuring.   Thank you books!  Thank you food and thank you to all of those blessed authors who put their hearts onto pages that give us hope, a laugh, and some damn good food!  

Claritha's Fried Chicken (page122 from book, Tender to the Bone by Ruth Reichel)

2 1/2-3 pound chicken, cut up, salt, 3 cups buttermilk, 2 onions, sliced thin, 1 cup flour, 3 tsp. kosher salt, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns, 1 cup vegetable shortening, ***1/2 cup butter (if you use butter, use unsalted. I found the butter could almost burn the chicken skin, so for second batch, I leftout.) 

Put chicken pieces in bowl and cover with salt.  Let sit for 2 hours. Remove chicken from salt, wash well and put into bowl with buttermilk and sliced onions.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Place flour, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in paper bag and shake to combine.  Drain chicken one piece at a time and put into bag.  Shake to coat thoroughly.  Place on waxed pepper.  Repeat until chicken pieces are coated.  Leave for 1/2 hour to dry out and come to room temperature.  Melt shortening and butter in large skillet over high heat, add chicken pieces and cover pan.  Lower heat and cook 10 minutes.  Turn and cook, uncovered 8 minutes for breasts, 12 minutes for dark meat.  Test for doneness by piercing thigh; juices should run clear.  Serves 4.

Aunt Birdie's Potato Salad (Page 22 from book, Tender to the Bone, Ruth Reichl)

3 pounds small potatoes, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tbsp. sugar, 2 onions, sliced, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 2 tbsp. water.

Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes until just tender.  Drain and let cool slightly.  Peel and slice into even rounds.  Season with salt, pepper, and sugar.  Add onions.  Add oil and mix gently.  Dilute vinegar with water and bring to a boil.  Add to potato mixture while hot and mix well.

**I tried the above salad and it was, ok.  I didn't have small potatoes, peeled medium sized, sliced and cooked until tender.  Added apple cider vinaigrette (with honey and mustard) sauerkraut, pickled red onions and chili flakes. 

"Glorious white winter wonderland.  Sparkling sun.  Melting ice.  A perfect day for chocolate cake." Ruth Reichl

The Cake that Cures Everything! From the Book My Kitchen Year:  136 Recipes that Saved My Life. 

1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa, 1/4 cup whole milk, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 3 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, salt, 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, 6 eggs. Serves 20-25 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter 2 large rectangular (13X9X2) baking pans and line them with waxed or parchment paper.  Butter the paper and dust the paper with sprinkles of cocoa powder (or flour).Measure cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk in 1 1/2 cups bowling water until smooth and glossy. In another bowl mix flour, baking soda and 3/4 tsp. salt.  In a mixer cream butter and sugars and then on low speed and alternating, add 1 egg at a time, wait 20 seconds, then add 1/3 of the flour.  Continue until eggs and flour are gone.  Pour half the batter into one pan and 1/2 into the other.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  Cool before you ice and assemble into double layer cake. Soooo good!

French 75 Cocktail

 

The French 75 cocktail was concocted around the first World War and was named after a war gun called, The French 75.  This is however one of my favorite cocktails and I've been making it for over a decade.  I've been asked for the recipe many times and even made a huge French 75 in a punch bowl one Christmas Eve.  Here is the recipe - oh it is refreshing and lovely!

First make the simple syrup:  1/4 cup sugar to 1/4 cup water (I used 1/4 sweetener to 1/4 water). Put into a small pot and let simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until it is reduced a little.

1/4 cup gin, 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, chilled Champagne, to top, lemon twist, to garnish.

Make simple syrup and then set aside to cool.  Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add 1 ounce of the simple syrup, the gin and the lemon juice. Shake for 30 seconds until well combined, then strain into champagne tulip, top with chilled champagne and then garnish with a lemon twist! Kiss kiss!

The Most Delicious Succulent Meatloaf

 

Pictures: Meatloaf  with the Vegetable Puree.

During War Time, Victory Gardens and unrationed loaves of bread could really stretch a meal and add an abundance of nutrition to rations.  Meatloaf was one of those meals and if I can just tell you this, this is the best damn meatloaf I’ve ever had!  I barely got a picture and had to edit out the ends because someone’s fork (mine) found it’s way in to take a little taste.  Here is the recipe!  Add whatever spices you like and remember, the meatloaf will be super moist before you cook it so it will be super moist when you take it out of the oven. I also just sauteed some mushrooms in a little white wine to put over top with a package of gravy and dried herbs.  All very tasty! 

Put oven to 350 degrees.  Cooking time 45-60 minutes 

Mix up the following two separate “pastes” for the meatloaf

*Panade:  A panade is a paste you make from bread and milk that you add to meatloaf to keep the meat tender and moist.  Put cubed bread into a bowl and pour the milk over it, mashing it so that all of the bread gets soaked in the milk.  You want just enough milk to cover bread and so that the cubes gently soak it all up (see amounts below).

*Puree:  In a blender, blend raw carrots,  celery, and onion, with a little water (start with just a couple of tbsp.) to turn into a paste (see amounts below).

 Here is what you will need for everything including the 2 pastes:

2 packages of lean organic hamburger (I used Costco brand and was 1.3 lbs. each)

*2-4 cups cubed bread.  I used 2 submarine sandwich buns in my freezer and cut into small cubes

* I cup milk

*3 small or 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped 

*1 large onion, diced

*4 medium celery, trimmed and chopped

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

¼ c. dried oregano

1 tbsp. garlic powder

½ tbsp. salt

Pepper

1 regular sized  tin diced tomatoes, drained

Optional, an extra cup of seasoned dried breadcrumbs if you like to add more to mixture if meat is too moist.

Add all of the above ingredients to hamburger in a bowl, including the panade and the vegetable puree and mix well.  The meat loaf mixture will be very moist but not wet.  If too wet for your liking add a cup of seasoned breadcrumbs to mixture – it will still be amazingly delicious.  Put meatloaf into a Pam Sprayed casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Top is you like with fresh or dried herbs, sauteed mushrooms and serve with gravy - I just buy those packets and whip up for whoever wants it. 

Avocado & Baby Spinach Salad with Micro Greens, Pomegranate and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

To Roast Seeds from pumpkin, first rinse seeds in a colander making sure all of the pumpkin pulp is removed.  Then put pumpkin seeds on paper towel and allow to dry.  I left mine overnight. 

When ready to roast, put the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss seeds in a few tbsp. of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and then any other spice you like. I added 1 tsp. of Caribbean spice.

Then spread pumpkin seeds over a cookie sheet and roast for about 10-15 minutes.  Keep an eye on seeds so they don't burn.  I found they got even crispier when they cooled down.

Layer a platter with baby spinach and sliced avocado, then dot the salad with pomegranate, roasted pumpkin seeds and microgreens.  Top with your favorite salad dressing.  Bon Appetit!

Pumpkin and Parmesan Baked Flans

My son enjoyed one of these for lunch and was like, Wow, these are soooo good!  Yup they are and I had one for lunch too!  It's amazing what you can do with a can of pumpkin.  Let me tell you, these are super easy - don't let the water bath for the ramekins scare you off!  You can also use French onion soup bowls for these too - whatever is oven proof.  These make about 4 ramekins and are perfect as a first course for a luncheon.

Put oven to 350 degrees

Take out 4 ramekins.  Also take out a roasting pan and fill it up with enough water so when you place the ramekins in the hot water, it will come up half way on the ramekins.

I filled up the roasting pan with water and put into a 350 degree oven until the water is nice and hot.  You can also boil water in a kettle and put it into the roasting pan if you prefer.

In a bowl mix up 1 cup of canned pumpkin, 3 eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 generous cup of grated Parmesan cheese.  You can also add a stronger cheese like Gorgonzola, then add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Whisk mixture up and then pour into Pam sprayed ramekins.  Top with roasted walnuts or as I did, walnuts and cranberries from one of those salad topper packages. I also garnished with dried chili pepper and chives.

Set ramekins gently into roasting pan with water that comes up half way and bake for about 40 minutes. Absolutely Heavenly!

Pumpkin and Yogurt Breakfast Popsicles!

 

These are perfect for kids who after Hallowe'en might still be thinking they are getting a treat!  They are delicious and very healthy. The kids will also be telling all their friends that they get popsicles for breakfast! When my kids were small I'd always make popsicles from leftover orange juice or leftover smoothie. I layered these pumpkin Greek vanilla flavored yogurt popsicles with chocolate granola.  Very yum!  Enjoy!

1 cup canned pumpkin puree, ½ tsp. pumpkin spice, 1 tbsp. honey, 1 ½ cups vanilla Greek yogurt, ½ cup milk, ½ cup favorite granola mix.  In small bowl, combine the pumpkin, spice and honey.  Add more honey if you want it to be sweeter.  In another bowl mix together the yogurt and milk.  Then layer the yogurt, pumpkin mixture and granola with a small spoon into your favorite popsicle molds until they are filled.  Put some popsicle sticks into the mixture and freeze for about 4-6 hours.