Cooking with Coley

I’m not much of a baker.  That is until apple season comes along.  For some reason every fall after an outing in the orchard, I’m compelled to make something sweet.  Perhaps it’s the concept of picking something fresh from its roots and assisting in its evolution into a new form. Without a garden of my own, it’s rare I get to have my hand at this.

Well anyways, last year it was apple pie, and now this year I bring you a caramel apple cupcake recipe adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

What you’ll need:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 small apples, peeled and shredded (I used Macs)
• 1 cup chewy caramel candies
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
  

 Procedure for cupcakes: 

• Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°
• Line a mini cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth.
• Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples and hazelnuts.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely (note: if you’re making normal size cupcakes, you want to cook for 25-30 minutes)

• In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth.
• Let cool. Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.
• Sprinkle with more hazelnuts.

Note: I’d try a different frosting if I were to make these again. The caramel was a little sticky to bite through at first, but then after 24 hours it started to soak into the cupcake and didn’t look quite as pretty. I’d recommend a light amount of cream cheese frosting. 

A dear friend of mine recently visited Boston with her husband and spoiled me with gifts and attention. An “engagement gift” of sorts, she not only treated me to a delicious dinner at Tico in Boston, but she bought me a wonderful assortment of Italian favorites including a fine bottle of Chianti, homemade orecchiette pasta and Frantoia Olive Oil.

In addition to some amazing ingredients, Katie’s husband, John, selflessly handed over a family recipe for Pesto Genovese (proper pesto terminology, as pesto originated in Genoa, Italy) along with a recipe for preparing it with orecchiette pasta, smoked gouda and sun dried tomatoes.  Yes, this is just as amazing as it sounds. And good news for you, he even gave me the OK to share it on my blog.

So thank you, Mrs. & Mr. Napolitano, for a fun visit, delicious treats and the timeless gift of an authentic Italian recipe.

I can’t do his recipe justice in my own words, so this comes directly from him. While it doesn’t follow my standard recipe “flow,” I think this is plenty comprehensive. Plus now you can learn a thing or two because he lends some expert tips.

• “Take 60-70 basil leaves and chop/crush them down. Food processor or mortar and pestle will suffice. Just be sure not to use high speeds for long durations if using the processor as it could alter the photochemical properties of the leaves. Something an older paisano man once taught me.
• Add three to four cloves of garlic to the processor, and then 2-3 tablespoons of lightly toasted pignoli (pine) nuts. Crush them down…and add some good olive oil.
• Then add a tablespoon of pecorino romano and a tablespoon of parmigiano reggiano cheese to the mixture. Then add some more olive oil along with salt and fresh pepper until it renders the right consistency and flavor of  your pallet.

Now the final ingredient……

•   1 teaspoon of cream cheese. Mix it in and you will notice the pesto take on a more creamy consistency while  countering the pugnancy of the garlic.
• Add pesto to the cooked pasta…..preferably orechiette or gimelli. Then add 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes(cut into julienne stips) and 1/4 cup of aged or smoked gouda cheese cut into dice sized cubes into the pasta. Finally top with a little fresh pecorino romano cheese and some lightly toasted pignoli nuts with each serving plate.
• Serve right away and pair with a light malbec or nebbiolo red wine.

Buon appetito!”

I have to say, this was an incredible dish!  I didn’t have parmigiano, so I used solely romano, and I think it was still perfection. It was rich and filling, and goes great with some fresh Italian bread and a salad.

Note: This recipe actually came from John’s Mother’s family, the Monteverdes in Genoa. So kudos to them for a fantastic family recipe! 

The day is finally about to arrive. A day that will forever change grocery shopping in Massachusetts as we know it. Wegmans is about to open.

Just one week from today (October 16) will be the grand opening of Wegmans Northborough.  It’s a must-go-to store for anyone who wants value and service when they grocery shop.

Wegmans first opened in Rochester, NY in 1930. Since then, store locations have spread across central NY and even more recently into Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Now 75+ stores strong and with dozens of awards on its roster, Wegmans is a foodie mecca changing the grocery shopping experience in the northeast.

Born and raised in the Syracuse, NY area, I was lucky enough to grow up having Wegmans as our local grocery store. Spoiled by weekly shopping trips, I never realized that all grocery stores weren’t created equal. Until, that is, I moved to another state.

So what makes Wegmans so great? A few of the top reasons:

1. Consistent low prices – sure I sound like an advertisement, but it’s true. Your buck goes a lot further at Wegmans.
2. Wegmans brand items – the “generic” brand never tasted so good. A couple favorites to highlight–Wegmans’ brand pasta and wing sauce.
3. The Market Cafe – with yummy subs, pizza and an abundance of other options, Wegmans is an actual lunch and dinner destination.
4. Produce – The produce section is a cook’s heaven. In addition to the fresh and high-quality produce, you can also expect to find some not-so-common ingredients.

Unfortunately, the Northborough store is about 35 miles from Boston, but other store locations are coming soon to Westwood, MA and Burlington, MA.

Wegmans Northborough

9102 Shops Way

Northborough, MA 01532

Note: my affinity for Wegmans is based on my years of shopping in the central New York locations.  I can only hope that the Northborough location and other locations to open in Massachusetts will maintain the same integrity in price, consistency, cleanliness and service. I’ve noticed the new Mass location is only open 6am to midnight which is quite a bit different from the 24-hour locations where I come from. Hopefully that will be the only difference we see!

I recently received a plethora of sun dried tomatoes and sun dried tomato products from Mooney Farm’s Bella Sun Luci line for review.  And when I say plethora, I mean a serious abundance of delicious tomatoes including their new Bella San Luci Sun Dried Tomato Bruschetta and Bella San Luci Julienne Cut Sun Dried Tomatoes with Italian Basil and Julienne Cut with Zesty Peppers (whew that’s a mouth full!).

Both of these products proudly display the Med Mark stamp of approval indicating that they are part of the Mediterranean Diet and therefore feature healthy fruits, grains, veggies, and/or olive oil.

I was especially excited to try the Sun Dried Tomato Bruschetta because I love a spin on the classics. It didn’t disappoint! I grilled up some multi-grain bread with EVOO on the stove top, and spread the Bruschetta on the individual pieces. Delicious! I shared it with some friends and they were equally as pleased!  Definitely a great appetizer for parties–whether it’s on bread or crackers.

The Julienne Cut tomatoes were also a hit, but I’m reserving the review/recipe for another post. Stay tuned!

Buy ‘em!  The products are available at major grocery stores nationwide, as well as Costco and the Mooney Farm’s website. The website has $1 off coupons, so be sure to grab one before heading to the store!

Share ‘em! And if you’re shopping on the website, you might want to check out one of their fun gift baskets — a great gift for a foodie!

Support ‘em! Also timely and of note, Mooney Farms Supports Breast Cancer Awareness month. For every jar that is purchased during the month of October, Mooney Farms will donate money to benefit breast cancer outreach programs and research.