Let’s talk about pie crust. I realize it’s still a couple weeks before Thanksgiving- the day I most associate with eating pies- but it’s never too early to talk about the importance of pie crust. This is one largely contested debate. Do you swear by butter, lard or olive oil? My husband swears that shortening is the key to flaky crusts. If you want to see me get into a hot debate, please don’t tell me to use shortening or chemical margarine in my pie crust! I’m a butter girl.

What’s your secret to a great tasting flaky pie crust?

Other Types of Pie Crusts

Above photo by [177}

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Holiday • Technique • desserts	6 Comments
Tags:	baking pies • pie crust • Thanksgiving

When it comes to seasonal fall and winter squash, there is always one that seems to take center stage on restaurant menus, glossy food magazines and in premade food products. That would be the ever-popular butternut squash. Yes, as much as I love this creamy, sweet and mild squash, I feel that it has been over used in ravioli and in pureed soups. I think it’s time to stir things up!  By no means am I suggesting you set aside your beloved butternut, in fact, I think you should fall in love with it all over again and try it in something new. Think of it as butternut therapy for your butternut addiction. To get you started, here are a couple recipes that might make you look differently at your favorite gourd. Before I forget, you can substitute kabocha squash, acorn squash or sugar pumpkin and really try something different.

This recipe for marinated butternut squash is a tangy twist on sauteed butternut squash that is usually tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs.

Butternut and parsnip quesadillas!  And, for the salsa lover who wants to eat seasonally, you can get inspired with this beet salsa that not only tastes sweet, fresh and tangy- it looks like a bowl of ruby jewels just waiting to be sprinkled on a salad or scooped up with chips.

Another dynamic duo- risotto and butternut together! This creamy risotto with sweet butternut squash could be eaten as a side dish or eaten as a main course. This dish is like putting a warm sweater around your stomach.

Don’t forget dessert! Here is a twist on the old  apple crisp classic: Butternut Apple Crisp!

Need more delicious inspiration? Here are three more delicious ideas:

Kalyn’s Kitchen

101 Cookbooks

Relish

Pink Stripes

Above photo by lumierefl

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cooking tips • Technique • Uncategorized • desserts • quick and easy	4 Comments
Tags:	autumn • butternut squash • fall • winter squash

Open your fridge. Can you tell the exact history of where one item came from? Eating local doesn’t seem like a hard challenge until you start thinking about it. Last Sunday night, a group of us got together and cooked a meal that was made almost entirely with local ingredients. The best part of it all was that we didn’t intentionally mean to have a dinner made completely of locally sourced ingredients, but once we realized we had the beginnings of one, we made it our goal to get as a close as we could to a completely local dinner.

When you start learning where your food really comes from, you learn how much labor, transportation and energy and resources go  into everything you eat. Eating local doesn’t just mean you help out the farmers, gardeners and butchers in your area, you are also saving other costs that add up, including energy, gas, storage and other hidden resources used to get those items off a truck and onto a shiny display. Challenge yourself to make it a personal goal to eat one thing at one meal a day that is sourced locally, not only will you feel good, believe me, it will taste better!

The Menu

Locally Caught Salmon with Lemon, Herb Butter: The salmon was caught locally by my friend Neil. Oregano, thyme and dill all from Washington state. Our splurge was the lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil, purchased from the grocery store.

All Blue Potato Salad with Fresh Dill: The all blue potatoes came from a farm that I was apprenticing at, about 20 miles away. Fresh dill and a sweet onion came from the Ballard Farmer’s market that morning. Our splurge was purchased Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper.

Summer Corn and Tomato Salad: The corn, basil and sweet onion came from the farmers market. The tomatoes were grown in my garden. Our splurge was olive oil, red onion and salt and pepper.

Winter Greens with Garlic and Lemon: The Swiss chard, kale and collard greens were all from the Ballard farmer’s market, our splurge was olive oil, lemon, garlic- (although it should have been bought at the farmer’s market), and Parmesan Reggiano.

Katy’s Blackberry Pie with Lemon Verbena Infused Fresh Whip Cream: The blackberries were purchased at the farmer’s market, the whip cream was from a Washington state organic creamery and the lemon verbena was from my friend Katy’s lemon verbena plant. Our splurge: organic pie crust from PCC, lemon juice, purchased spices.

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Categories:	American • Baked Goods • Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Organic • Salads • Uncategorized • Vegetarian • Veggies • desserts	5 Comments
Tags:	all blue potatoes • blackberry pie • corn salad • eating local • eating local in the northwest • salmon • winter greens

In Seattle, now that fall is here, it means it starts raining. The days grow increasingly darker and the clouds rarely take a break from hanging out above the city. As a native, of course I’m sad to see the sun go for months on end, but honestly there is a big side of me that is excited to spend all evening roasting winter vegetables and drinking red wine, while a game is on in the other room. The wind and cold rain whipping leaves from the trees forces me to stay inside and convince me that it’s okay to not do anything, but cook comfort food, feed it to my favorite people and not feel guilty about staying in my sweats all day long.

Cheers to Autumn!

Here are 10 Fall Dishes We Can’t Wait to Cook

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Beverages • French • Holiday • Soup • Vegetarian • desserts	6 Comments
Tags:	autumn food • comfort food • fall food

I’ve been meaning to pay homage to the famous 60’s era concert and thought,”Hmm, what would be the quintessential hippie Woodstock food?”

Pot brownies, for sure. But alas, not the most legal thing. And I’m not sure I’d even know how to make them were I to somehow acquire the necessary bud.

Then I thought, “Granola!” Everyone ate granola then (and still). Maybe not the most Woodstock-esque food, but certainly a buzz food of the times. My mom made it all the time, and we ate it dry and with milk. We even genericized her healthy food as “granola food.”

When I went searching online for some great recipes, I found the following on Amateur Gourmet. And he read about it on David Lebovitz’s blog, who got it from the book “Baked: New Frontiers in Baking” by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. David said it’s one of those books that made him want to make everything in it, so I promptly bought it. (No, I have not been eating pot brownies).

So here it is (and here’s to Woodstock!), a superb recipe for easy homemade granola.

Photo: cuttlefish

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cooking tips • Nuts • breakfast	Leave a Comment
Tags:	amateur gourmet • cereal • david lebovitz • granola • hippie food • homemade granola • woodstock

The annual “Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day” was August 8th, and even if you happened to sneak several large squash into mailboxes,  friend’s purses or onto co-worker’s chairs that day, the likelihood that you still have more zucchini than you know what to do with is pretty high. We figured you were not alone, so we have found 10 great recipes from Foodista and five more from food bloggers to help you get your creative juices flowing…oooh there’s one I forgot Zucchini Juice!

1. Raw Zucchini Pasta
2. Zucchini Pasta with Sausage
3. Stuffed Zucchini Boats
4. Zucchini Cookies
5.Savory Zucchini Pancakes
6. Zucchini Bread
7. Zucchini Parmesan
8. Green Curry with Zucchini
9. Zucchini Dip
10. Vegan Veggie Burrito

5 More Great Zucchini Recipes From Bloggers

All Things Nice Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Home Joys- Zucchini Crust Pizza

Cooks United Zucchini Fritters

Chocolate and Zucchini Zucchini and Mushroom Crumble

Kalyn’s Kitchen Zucchini Carpaccio

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Categories:	American • Baked Goods • Chocolate • Cooking tips • Pasta & Grains • Uncategorized • Vegetarian • Veggies • condiments • desserts • quick and easy	Leave a Comment
Tags:	vegan • Vegetarian • Zucchini recipes

One my favorite guilty pleasures is a rich and decadent New York style cheese cake covered in fresh raspberries or tangy tart cherries all on top of a crumbly graham cracker crust. And since it just so happens to be national cheese cake day, I feel the need to over indulge!

Historically speaking there have been several versions of the cheese cake for centuries, but the original “New York style” cheese cake that has become a staple on restaurant menus nationwide is said to have originated in 1929 at the Turf restaurant on 49th and Broadway, when  restaurant owner Arnold Reuben tried to replicate an amazing cheese cake he had one night while dining at a friend’s home.

Since then, several restaurants and bakeries all over New York have created their own spin on this historical dessert. Even though the classic version is pure and plain, a thousand and more variations have been created from banana cream pie, chocolate, Oreo and even key lime pie cheese cake. Thankfully for all of us cheese cake lovers, there are no rules against celebrating this creamy cake all year long and discovering new creations along the way.
Want to celebrate at home? Here is a recipe for New York’s famous cake:

Above photo by Bloggyboulga.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cheese • desserts	Leave a Comment
Tags:	cheese cake • cheesecake • National Cheese Cake Day • New York

It’s Pi Approximation day! What’s that, you say? Think back to your math class…remember that old Greek guy Archimedes? He’s the one whose famous approximation of Pi (Π) was 22/7, not 3.14 (that Pi day is March 14).

But since we’re food lovers here at Foodista and not mathematicians (unless you count our brilliant engineers, Colin and Jesse) we thought we’d change it up a bit and make it PIE day!

Sorry, Archimedes, but I think it’s still a win-win for us all!

Search Foodista for all kinds of pies, sweet and savory!

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Categories:	Baked Goods	Leave a Comment
Tags:	Baked Goods • desserts • pi day • pie day • pies • Sweets

Last night I wanted to bake something that was delicious, easy to make and appealing to everyone. Then I remembered the Banana Cake recipe that was a staple on our kitchen counter growing up. Once the yellow bananas lost their squeaky yellow peels to freckles, my mother would whip up a batch  either that night or midday and there would be banana cake for dessert- but more likely for breakfast. I found a banana cake recipe on Foodista that is pretty similar to my mother’s own recipe.

Lovely on it’s own or with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, this banana cake is a hit!

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Categories:	Baked Goods • desserts	Leave a Comment
Tags:	banana • banana cake • Cake • cheap • easy • quick

I love meringue. I love the way it floats, then melts in your mouth like a cloud. I’m embarrassed to admit how much of it I can eat in one sitting. Years ago, while vacationing in Paris, I surprised even myself. Poor Barnaby got a stomach bug and was hotel-bound, so I went out in search of something to soothe the belly: yogurt and medicine for him; wine, cheese, and meringue for me. I took the loot back to our shoebox-sized room and hoped that, by some miracle, he would be cured and ready to enjoy the feast. Not a chance. Along with my stinky cheese, I was banned to the tiny fire escape to snack. While Barnaby hugged the toilet, I noshed shamelessly on my cheese and wine.

Then came the meringue.

I pulled out the near-dinner-plate-sized beauty and even Barnaby in his deathly state exclaimed, “Holy crap, that thing is huge!”

Indeed. I took two hands to hold the fluffy white mound of glorious almond-studded meringue – the largest I’d ever seen. I had seen piles of them in the bakery window and am sure the baker didn’t appreciate my drooling all over the outside of his window. I refrained myself and bought only one.

Then ate the entire thing.

Last week my friend, without knowing about my meringue madness, made a stunning pavlova for dessert (she went to culinary school in Paris back in the day). I squealed when I saw it. It was a masterpiece. She formed the meringue into a bowl, into which she spread a lemon curd, anchored it with dark chocolate, then topped it with fresh blue- and blackberries.

Mon dieu!!

“Oh no, I couldn’t eat a piece that size!” I exclaimed as she placed an enormous slice on my plate.

“Oh yes she can!” Barnaby countered.

And I did.

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Categories:	Baked Goods • desserts	3 Comments
Tags:	Dessert • France • lemon curd • meringue • Paris • pavlova