Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

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Amy’s Writing, Photography and Art can be found at amybisson.com

  • 28 Oct. 2024: Dad’s Favorite Cut Out Cookies

    My Dad, like most dads in the 1950s and 1960s, was not the chief cook in the family. After he retired, I think he did a bit of cooking and maybe even some baking. This recipe card is labeled “Bud Likes These”, so it may have been something Dad – always called Bud, never by his given name – found.

    Whatever the origin, these were the cutout cookies that Dad thought highly of, and it’s easy to see why. There’s plenty of butter and sugar!

    Because of egg allergies in the family, I steer clear of royal icings, so these cookies were simply decorated with chocolate sprinkles, but as the baking spirit moves you, you should feel free to go wild.

    Cut Out Cookies (Bud Likes These)

    From Sarah Puglisi’s Recipe Collection, source unknown

    Ingredients:

    • 1-1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
    • 1 cup margarine (I used unsalted butter)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1/2 tsp almond extract
    • 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp cream of tartar

    Method:

    1. Cream together the confection’s sugar and butter/margarine.
    2. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts.
    3. Stir together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add to the butter/egg mixture and blend.
    4. REFRIGERATE at least 2-3 hours.
    5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    6. Lightly flour work surface and rolling pin. I rolled the thickness of about 1/4 inch or a little less. Use cutters to cut out desired shapes.
    7. Place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake until delicately golden (my time was between 8 and 10 minutes). Let settle on the sheet for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
    8. The dough will re-roll easily. Makes a nice crisp cookie.

  • 20 Oct 2024: Lemon Walnut Squares

    Gourmet Magazine, RIP 2009, was one of my favorite sources for challenging my cooking and baking chops.

    This recipe, hand copied by me after it appeared in July 1983 – that’s 40 years ago if you’re keeping track – was a favorite bar cookie, brought to many gatherings. Because we have some folks with walnut allergies in my family now, I’d need to find a substitute for the walnuts, but today, knowing I was going to be visiting a friend soon who has a great affinity for all things lemony, I made it as the recipe developer meant.

    In researching the source for this bar, I came across another Gourmet lemon bar, without the nuts in the short crust. Here’s a link to that in case you are looking to eliminate that possible allergen. But for me, the original, including ground walnuts, is the bomb.

    Lemon Walnut Squares

    Gourmet Magazine, July 1983

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
    • 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
    • 1 cup plus 3 TBSP AP Flour
    • 1/2 cup finely ground walnuts
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 TBSP lemon juice
    • 2 tsp grated lemon rind
    • 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder
    • Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

    Method

    1. Blend butter, brown sugar, 1 cup of the flour, and 1/2 cup ground walnuts until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press all but 1/2 cup of this mixture (reserve for later) into a 9-inch square pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes (edges should be golden).
    2. Beat eggs lightly. Stir in granulate sugar, 3 Tablespoons of the flour, lemon juice, lemon rind, and baking powder.
    3. When the crust comes out of the oven, pour the lemon mixture on top of the baked crust. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved 1/2 cup walnut/butter mixture.
    4. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through to brown the top evenly.
    5. Let cool in the pan. Cut into squares and sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar. May be made 24 hours in advance.

  • 18 October 2024: Spicy Butternut Squash Pasta with Spinach

    This is another delightful main from cookbook author and regular New York Times contributor, Yasmin Fahr. I’ll gift and link to the recipe, originally published in the Times here, but Yasmin Fahr also cross-posts links on her website. As I recently discovered, gifted NY Times recipes are available for a month, so if you are reading this after mid-November 2024, you will need to access the recipe from the NY Times Cooking section (and the paywall).

    Using pasta as a base, this dish was a satisfying – and quick – weeknight dinner filled with the flavors of Autumn. I didn’t have any tube pasta on hand, so I substituted fusilli. The recipe makes a large amount which we were able to translate into at least 3 nights worth of eating plus a 4th night in our freezer. We both like heat, so adding a jalepeño and red pepper flakes was perfection.

    Spicy Butternut Squash Pasta with Spinach

    Yasmin Fahr in the New York Times

    Ingredients to have on hand

    • Olive oil
    • Medium butternut squash
    • Cumin
    • Red Pepper Flakes
    • Dry Pasta (penne recommended)
    • Low sodium vegetable broth
    • Parmesan
    • Baby Spinach
    • Fresh Mozzarella
    • Jalepeño
    • Flat leaf parsley

  • 11 October 2024: Ellen’s Easy & Quick Tortilla Soup

    This recipe comes from my younger sister, Ellen, and is a lifesaver for getting a great-tasting soup ready for dinner in less than 30 minutes. As Ellen suggests, keeping the basics in the pantry makes it easy to pull together – and since this recipe is very forgiving, adjustments can be made easily. No leftover chicken? Make it vegan by adding more beans – or even sub in some tofu.

    For tonight, I made this as Ellen created it and it was delicious! No chopping, no sauteeing ahead… piece of cake. And, for this family of empty nesters, we have at least two more meals put away in the freezer.

    Ingredients:

    • 2-4 tsp minced garlic (suggestion: use pre-minced or mince 4 cloves of fresh sauteed in a bit of olive oil)
    • Small can of diced jalapeno peppers
    • 1 to 1-1/2 cups any kind of salsa (like heat? go for the hot)
    • 2 14-1/2 oz (or 1 large can) diced tomatoes including the juice
    • 2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (suggestion: use 1 cannellini and 1 black bean)
    • 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (suggestion: Ellen keeps a can of chick for this recipe and does not drain before using – leftover rotisserie chicken works too)
    • 1 can of corn, drained OR a couple handfuls of frozen corn
    • 1 TBSP lime juice
    • 1 scant TBSP chili powder
    • 1 TBSP cumin
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1 TBSP smoked paprika
    • Shredded sharp cheddar cheese or chunks of oaxaca cheese for serving
    • Tostadas or plain tortilla strips (or tortilla bowls if you want to be fancy) for serving

    Method:

    1. In a large pot, mix EVERYTHING except the cheese and tortilla chips.
    2. Bring to a boil and allow to gently boil for about 15-20 minutes.
    3. To serve, ladle out soup, sprinkle cheese on top or have it at the table for people to use as desired. If using oaxaca type cheese, put a few chucks in your bowl before adding the soup. Serve with toastadas/tortilla strips which people can crush and sprinkle on top as desired, or serve in a tortilla bowl.

    The soup is very forgiving. Adjust, leave out, add as desired.

  • 28 Sep 2024: Family Oatmeal Cookies

    This oatmeal cookie originated on the back of a Quaker Oats container and has been a favorite of many of the cookie lovers in this family for a long time. In fact, these may be the all-time favorite of my maternal grandfather, Palmer Flournoy, my dad, Bud Puglisi and my husband, Adrien. Because the recipe makes so many, we oftentimes froze a good 3/4 of the batch which led to our son asking for “two cold cookies please”. I would call that a resounding thumbs up from four generations.

    Oatmeal Cookies

    Originated by Quaker Oats & retrieved from Sarah Puglisi’s recipe file

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups sifted AP flour
    • 1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 3 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup raisins (or candied fruit, chocolate chips or combination)
    • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
    • 1 cup corn oil (I used canola)
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/2 cup milk

    Method

    1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
    2. Sift together the dry ingredients (AP flour through cinnamon).
    3. Stir in oats, raisins (or other goodies), and nuts.
    4. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and add IN ORDER: oil, eggs, and milk.
    5. Stir until thoroughly blended.
    6. Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet, about 1-1/2 inches apart.
    7. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

  • 22 Sep 2024: Lasagne

    This lasagne recipe came from a church cookbook published sometime in the 1960s by St. Peter’s Church in my hometown of Huron, Ohio. Once my family discovered how much of a treat lasagne can be, it became our traditional dish to celebrate New Year’s Day for as long as I can remember.

    Flash forward to my days as an undergrad at Plymouth State. I don’t remember exactly how I pulled this off, but I often made a pan of lasagne to bring to get togethers with my Music Department peeps. Not sure how I boiled that box of noodles (this was before oven-ready lasagne noodles were a thing), and I am sure I could not simmer sauce on a hotplate.

    As happens when you make a recipe frequently, I often just winged it by making it meatless, adding fresh or frozen spinach to the layers, changing up the sauce. Although I followed the St. Peter’s recipe as written for this family version, once the basics are down, a little experimentation can be good.

    A rich, satisfying meal for anytime, and easily adaptable or adjustable for different tastes, this is a great dish for bringing to a gathering or, with some proportional adjustments, for a couple of empty-nesters.

    Lasagne

    From the St. Peters Church (Huron, Ohio)

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb either Italian sausage meat or ground beef (or a mix)
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 T parsley flakes (I used fresh Italian parsley)
    • 1 T dry basil
    • 1 1/2 tsp (or less) salt
    • 2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
    • 1 16-ounce can tomatoes (chopped or diced)
    • 10 oz. dry lasagne noodles
    • 3 cup ricotta
    • 2 beaten eggs
    • 2 (or less) tsp salt
    • Pepper
    • 2 T parsley flakes (again, I used fresh Italian parsley)
    • 1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese (not that canned, tasteless stuff)
    • 1 lb. Mozarella cheese (original recipe also said white American cheese okay. Please don’t!)

    Method

    1. Brown the meat and then spoon off the fat.
    2. Add the next 6 ingredients. Simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I needed to add some liquid, so a bit of red wine works for that)
    3. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
    4. Combine ricotta cheese with eggs, seasonings, and Parmesan.
    5. Assemble by putting half the noodles in the bottom of a 9x13x2 pan. Spread with half the ricotta mixture, add half the mozarella and then spread half of the sauce on top.
    6. Repeat the layers from Step 5.
    7. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
    8. Let stand about 15 minutes before serving. Makes about 12 servings.

  • 06 Sep 2024: Saucy Little Meat Loaves

    This family recipe reminds me of colder weather: crisp Fall nights, frozen winters, and meatloaf with a baked potato. If our collective memory serves, this recipe came from the Quaker Oats container. While it can be made into individual loaves, which was probably the height of elegance for me, more often than not, one big loaf was formed which could be easily cooked in about the same amount of time as a baked potato. Also, one loaf stretched nicely into meat loaf sandwiches the next day.

    Saucy Little Meat Loaves

    Attributed to Quaker Oats and retrieved from Sarah Puglisi’s Recipe Collection

    Ingredients

    Meat Loaves:

    • 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
    • 3/4 c oats (I used Quick oats which was usually what we kept in our pantry)
    • 1-1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp pepper
    • 1/4 c chopped onion
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • Parsley spigs (garnish)

    Topping:

    • 1/3 c catsup
    • 1 TBSP firmly-packed brown sugar
    • 2 TBSP prepared mustard.

    Method

    1. Combine all ingredient for meat loaves except the parsley. Mix together the ingredients for the topping separately.
    2. Shape the meat mixture into 6 individual loaves.
    3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
    4. If you make a whole loaf, pack into an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch loaf pan. Bake in 350 F oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.
    5. Spread with topping and garnish with parsley.

  • 26 Aug 2024: Mother’s Spaghetti Sauce

    When we were helping my Mom at her condo recently, I came across several well-worn cookbooks with recipes I remembered from my childhood. More importantly was the discovery of two metal recipe card boxes filled with my Mom’s tried-and-true recipes. There, in her handwriting as well as that of my Aunt Eleanor and Grandmother, I found the culinary memories of my growing up years.

    I’ve embarked on a project recently to document those recipes by photographing the finished product for this blog and including the recipes themselves. In fact, my siblings, in-laws, and the “cousins” are all getting into the act of contributing their favorites. If interested, search for the category “Family Favorites”.

    This recipe is marked “Mother’s” Spaghetti Sauce, which I am guessing meant my Grandmother, Edna Wyant Flournoy’s sauce. Grandma was not of Italian heritage, but she was a terrific cook. Don’t expect Marcella Hazen or, if I can recreate it, my Sicilian Grandfather, Emanuel Puglisi’s recipe for Sunday sauce (meatless). This was, however, the pasta sauce my family grew up with to the extent that when Emanuel Sr. came to cook his more traditional Italian sauce for us on a visit, I didn’t believe it was for authentic. Where was the ground beef?

    Still, this sauce, “authentic” or not, reminded me of spaghetti night in our Midwestern home. It’s filling, tomatoey and freezes well. Honestly, I didn’t bother with the extra butter or corn oil. That, to me, was just a step too far away from my Italian/Sicilian ancestry.

    Mother’s Spaghetti Sauce

    From Sarah Puglisi’s Recipe Card Collection

    Ingredients:

    • 1 lb. ground beef (leaner is better)
    • 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
    • 2 8-oz. cans tomato paste
    • 2 TBSP parsley (fresh if possible)
    • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1/4 c shopped onion
    • OPTIONAL: 1/4 c butter
    • OPTIONAL: 1/4 c corn oil
    • OPTIONAL: 1 small can mushroom pieces
    • EITHER: 1/2 tsp dried oregano or 1/2 tsp dry sweet basil
    • Dry hot red pepper (shake)
    • Water, Tomato Juice or Red Wine for thinning as needed

    Method:

    1. Brown ground meat (I poured off the extra fat)
    2. Add all of the other ingredients, mix.
    3. Cook over low heat UNCOVERED for approximately 3 hours. Watch heat as will burn easily. Best to use heavy bottom pan.
    4. May easily be doubled or tripled.
    5. This amount is about right for 1 lb. fine spaghetti (pasta) and for 4 generous servings.

  • 12 Aug 2024: Ina Garten’s Summer Borscht

    Growing up, I’m not so sure I was as big a fan of beets as has been the case in my adulthood. Maybe it was because my Dad wasn’t a fan, and we didn’t eat them very often. With kid logic, my siblings and I often joked that we might “hide beets in Dad’s mashed potatoes”. Well, that would have worked out in a predictable way.

    The first weeks of August have been very hot and sticky here in Massachusetts, so I was looking to find a nice, refreshing, and cool (cold) soup. And, as she’s done in the past, Ina Garten came to my rescue!

    Summer Borscht

    You can find the recipe for this Borscht-like summer offering right here.

    Ina Garten

    Ingredients

    • Fresh beets (remove tops)
    • Chicken stock
    • Sour cream
    • Plain yogurt (not Greek Style)
    • Sugar
    • Lemon juice
    • Champagne vinegar
    • English cucumber
    • Scallions
    • Fresh dill

  • 05 Aug 2024: Rosemary & Sea Salt Focaccia

    During this, one of the hottest stretches of weather we’ve had this summer, I’ve made it a mission to try out my new stand mixer.

    My 30-year-old Kitchen Aid has been a workhorse, but lately we’ve made multiple paddle replacements and not only does it rock the bowl in the stand, but the motor is making some pretty funky noises. Given that I’ve turned to baking bread at least once a week, I needed a new heavy-duty mixer, which for me has been an Ankarsrum Assistent Original. I like it so far, but it is something to get used to using.

    First of all, the mixer bowl rotates and the beater or other mixing piece stays still. There are adjustments to mixing which I am learning to make. Instead of putting the dry ingredients into the bowl and adding the liquids, the Ankarsrum employs the opposite order: liquids first, dry second.

    In the spirit of ultimately downsizing and consolidating our small kitchen appliances as they need replacing, the Ankarsrum seems to be a good fit for me. Eventually I’ll be able to replace my blender and ice cream maker with attachments that will fit onto the mixer base.

    So even though it’s a hot, humid day in New England, I’m baking bread. And learning to do something in a new way. And maybe questioning my sanity in lighting up the oven when it’s humid and over 90 outside.

    Fresh Rosemary and Sea Salt Focacci

    Click on the link embedded above for the recipe I used.

    Ingredients

    • Dry active yeast
    • Water
    • Olive Oil
    • Bread Flour
    • Salt (for dough)
    • Honey
    • Fresh Rosemary
    • Sea Salt (for topping)