Winter has been overstaying its welcome. And I’m tired of it. With a string of day upon day of gray and rainy, I have had it. I wanted a piping hot bowl of comfort.

But not if I have to work for it. Cause you know… I’m lazy.

And somewhere in the midst of that lazy gray mood, we invited some friends over for dinner. Aw man, that means I have to cook something.

Sounds like work to me. Cause you know… I’m lazy.

So I turned to my old buddy, Mr. Crockpot, for help. Actually, I let him to do most of the work.

I opened some cans, cooked a little ground turkey, stirred it up, and 10 minutes later I was curled up on the sofa with Raven watching NCIS reruns.

About half an hour before guests were due to arrive, I peeled myself off of the couch and made cornbread. And voila! We had the perfect dinner for a damp winter day. Thank you, Mr. Crockpot.

You know what’s even better than a hot bowl of chili on a rainy day? A fat slice of cheesecake made by Christine, the founder of fabulous Neococoa truffles.

That chocolate swirl? Oh, it’s just Scharfenberger 70% dark chocolate. Holy yum, Batman!

Now… let’s make some chili!

Gather your ingredients (2 cans each of black beans and kidney beans, 1 can corn, 1 large can of diced tomatoes, 1 large onion, 1 pound of ground turkey).

Dice the onion and brown the ground turkey.

Drain the beans and corn. Put everything into the crockpot.

Beware of the wild animals you may attract at the sound of the can opener.

Add a teaspoon of chili powder. I generally go light on spicy stuff so the kids can eat it, but I do add a little chili powder for flavor. It’s good without too though.

If you love spicy food, feel free to kick it up as many notches as you want with chili powder, cayenne, or adding jalapeños or green chiles.

Mix it all up and put a lid on it.

Set it and forget it (wait, is that trademarked?).

At any rate, set the slow cooker to low and leave it alone for at least 6 hours and up to 10. I generally shoot for 7-8 hours.

This is one of those moments when I feel compelled to make apologies about being a slacker and all around delinquent when it comes to blogging, but I promised myself I wouldn’t say something like “Sorry I haven’t posted in a while”. So I’m not going to say that even if I am a bum blogger.

Instead I am going to distract you with the perfect thing to have in your back pocket: roasted tomatoes. Well, you shouldn’t keep the actual tomatoes in your back pocket, that would be messy. What I mean to say is that this “recipe” for roasted tomatoes is great to have in your arsenal, especially as we head into fall and the tomatoes start to lose their summer glow.

It’s more of a technique really. Extremely easy and forgiving. I’m not even giving you precise measurements, but don’t be scared. I promise this is one of the easiest things you can do with your oven. And if you love tomatoes, it’s a must-try.

Start with some tomatoes. I’ve used cherry tomatoes and roma tomatoes. Roasting concentrates all of the tomato flavor, so romas are a great candidate since the ones at the grocery stores tend to be lacking in the flavor department… it’s a great way to trick the humble roma into being a rock star.

Wash the tomatoes and then cut them into halves or quarters. It doesn’t really matter, but for smaller tomatoes halves work best. For larger ones you decide how small you prefer your pieces.

Toss the tomatoes with olive oil, coarse salt (like kosher or sea salt) and black pepper. How much? It’s a matter of taste, really. But don’t go overboard on the salt because the flavors will be concentrated, including the salt.

Alternatively, you could line up your tomato pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper there. I’ve done it both ways with equal success so again, it’s your choice.

Line up your tomatoes on baking sheets so that the cut parts face up. If you didn’t toss the tomatoes in oil, salt, and pepper, here’s your chance to sprinkle and drizzle away.

Put the baking sheets into a low oven (250 degrees) for 2-3 hours. The tomatoes will shrink by at least half. (for the cherry tomatoes I left them in for about 2 hours, for larger tomatoes I leave them in for 3 hours or possibly longer depending on shrinkage. But I stick to a minimum of 2 hours).

It doesn’t get much easier than this: marinated feta. I first saw marinated feta on my friend Kristen’s blog Passion 4 Eating back in January, and now I am hooked. I eat it in sandwiches, crumbled onto pasta, atop burgers, with hunks of baguette, and sometimes just straight from the jar.

To make marinated feta:

1. Cut a block of feta into good-sized chunks (you want chunks not crumbles) and put the chunks into a jar.
2. Add your favorite hearty herbs (I used rosemary and sweet marjoram) and some spices (I used star anise, black pepper (ground or whole peppercorns), herbs de Provence, etc…)
3. Cover the feta and herbs with olive oil and put the lid on the jar. Let it sit for a couple of hours or a few days if you can wait that long — it gets better with age. (Also, don’t worry about a fancy expensive olive oil for this, I went for the big bargain bottle at Trader Joe’s. The herbs and spices will fancy up a cheap olive oil anyway so save the good stuff for a special occasion)

If you plan on eating it within 24 hours, you can leave it out, otherwise stick it in the fridge where it will keep for a few weeks. Marinated feta is a great addition to a nosh-station at a cocktail party, but you certainly don’t need to wait for a party… try it tonight. Seriously.

Notes:

• I’ve found that, in the fridge, the olive oil will sometimes gel up or solidify (which frankly looks weird), but if you set it out on the counter about an hour before you want to eat it everything will be just fine. Or you could just fish a cube or two out still covered in the somewhat congealed olive oil and put it on a panini.
• Use a good feta that you like the flavor of. I used Kristen’s recommendation which is Pastures of Eden brand and I love it, but try it with whatever you like.
• Bonus: the olive oil is delicious too so it’s not like you’re going to waste it. I like to dip bread in it and eat it as is, but try using it wherever you want a little extra oomph.

[I don't want to read all this mumbo jumbo, take me to the recipe]

Can you believe it is almost August? Eep. Where has the summer gone? Even without all the E’s, the last few months have been pretty busy around here. At least it feels like it has been really busy, but I can’t really say what I’ve been doing. Okay, fine… I’ve been spending way too much time at Ikea. There I said it. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, lots of great stuff for organizing for not too much money. On the other hand, I worry that my house will start looking too Ikea, you know? Ah well. The damage is done.

Anyway, the rest of the time, I’ve been daydreaming about wedding details (I just can’t help it). Things like how many cupcakes will I need to make? and should we serve pie instead of cake?. You know, the important stuff. Not that we’ve set a date or decided exactly what we want to do (we have ideas though). And of course I’ve been looking at a lot of dresses. Isn’t this one dreamy?

And I love love love these shoes:

I’m not sure what sort of dress I’ll end up with; I’m thinking something simple, elegant, and not so much of the big princess gown. Still I love looking at all the pretty dresses. But it can be overwhelming. I’ve had white-blindness a couple of times at bridal salons. But dreaming is good for you so I do a little each day.

Something else that is good for you? Hummus. It tastes good too. What’s not to love?

Now let’s make some hummus:

Things you will need: 1 can of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), tahini, and a lemon (not pictured). The olive oil and herbs are a nice addition but totally optional.

Drain most but not all of the liquid from the garbanzo beans and throw them into your food processor.

Add some tahini.

Maybe a little more (start with 2 tablespoons and then play around with it. I don’t really measure things exactly when I make this hummus but luckily precision is not necessary here).

Let the food processor whir until you have a creamy hummus. Squeeze in half a lemon and pulse a few times. Taste it. Add more lemon if you like, a pinch or two of salt, and herbs of your liking (I used some basil and parsley here).

Homemade Hummus

Just one more reason to love your food processor. Homemade hummus is easy, healthy, and delicious.

1 can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)
2-3 tablespoons tahini, well-stirred
juice of 1 lemon
salt

1. Drain the can of chickpeas, reserving a little of the liquid (up to 1/4 cup). Put the chickpeas into the bowl of a food processor with tahini and give it a whirl.
2. Add half of the lemon juice and pulse the food processor a couple of times. Taste it and adjust the lemon juice to taste (I sometimes use all of the juice. It makes a tangy hummus but it’s really good with tortilla chips… especially these)
3. Salt to taste and let the food processor whirl for 30 seconds to a minute (the longer you let it go, the creamier the hummus will be).
4. Enjoy!

Variations

• Toss in a handful of basil or parsley from your garden.
• Add a clove or two of garlic (fresh or roasted).
• Drizzle a little of your best olive oil over the top for serving.
• Mix it up with your favorite spices (how about a little star anise or cumin?)

Hummus

It’s that time of year again. You know, when even those who don’t follow football perk up at the mention of a Super Bowl Party. All of a sudden everyone’s got a favorite team. Or not. Football is just the excuse. The party is really about friends and the food. Actually, that’s really what life is about isn’t it? Good friends and good food… but I digress. We’re here to talk about the Super Bowl football food. What says football better than wings?

I’ve tried making the classic hot wings in the past using a couple of different recipes and I’ll be honest, I’d rather order them from someplace because the ROI (return on investment) for the amount of work put into those wings was pitiful. I’m willing to do a little bit of work as long as the results are worth it. The last hot wings recipe I tried was from Alton Brown. I’m definitely a fan of his, and he hasn’t steered me wrong except in that case. There were just too many steps. Sure, in the end I had crispy wings, but I was too tired to enjoy them.

But in the latest issue of Bon Appétit, I was tempted to give wings another chance by the Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Drumettes. They had me at bourbon. While the recipe title intrigued Dan as well, when he found how much bourbon was going into it, he was unsure that it was the best use for something that precious. He’d rather drink it. But after tasting the sauce, he offered me the handle of Jim Beam in his cabinet to make more. Since the recipe is straightforward, easy, and lip-smacking delicious, I am happy to oblige (the ROI is off the charts).

Bourbon-glazed chicken wings with Blue cheese dipping sauce

(from Bon Appétit, February 2010)

These are nothing like traditional Buffalo wings, but they are a little bit sweet with a hint of spice and the complexities of bourbon cooked down into a glaze of concentrated yum… what more could you possibly want?

Makes about 30

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup bourbon, divided
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Crystal)
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
30 chicken drumettes (about 3-4 pounds)
(Blue cheese dipping sauce recipe follows)

1. Melt butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
2. Add 3/4 cup bourbon; boil until most of liquid is absorbed, about 6-8 minutes.
3. Whisk in remaining 1/4 cup bourbon, ketchup, hot sauce, tomato paste and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. [the sauce splatters a bit as it simmers].
4. Remove marinade from heat; cool to room temperature.
5. Place chicken drumettes in a large glass baking dish (15x10x2-inch or whatever fits all of the drumettes mostly in a single layer). Pour marinade over and turn drumettes to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper [don't skip this unless you love scrubbing]. Place cooling rack atop prepared baking sheet [I use the one that came with my sheet pan set]. Arrange drumettes on rack, spacing slightly apart. Spread any remaining marinade from dish over drumettes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Bake drumettes (still on cooling rack) until cooked through and brown in spots, about 45 minutes.
9. Transfer drumettes to serving platter alongside blue cheese dipping sauce.

Notes

• The recipe calls for drumettes (“the thick, meaty section of the chicken wing that resembles a drumstick”), but I used wing parts (the package I bought said “party wings”). Frankly I think this marinade would taste good on any piece of chicken. I wonder for all of those packages of drumettes-only, what happens to the other ‘less desirable’ part of the chicken wing?
• These wings are good served warm or at room temperature. And reheat fairly well… I made the wings in the morning and they were refrigerated for a few hours before Dan reheated them in the oven and served.
• I used Jim Beam. Use what you have or buy something inexpensive like JB. I don’t think a fancier bourbon will improve anything here and those are better suited for sipping straight, on the rocks, or in a mint julep.

Blue cheese dipping sauce

This dip is too good to be so dangerously simple to make. It’s good with the wings, but also on potato chips, cucumber slices, celery sticks, … a spoon.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

8 ounces blue cheese, finely crumbled (about 2 cups)
1 16-ounce container sour cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Whisk blue cheese crumbles, sour cream, and parsley in a medium bowl until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer to a serving bowl. Watch it disappear.

• Note: Dipping sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.