November
Cooking Classes
|
Click to view December Class
Details!Click on the Class Title for complete
details and registration information.
10% discount on merchandise
purchased on the day of class (kitchen electrics
excluded).
Just in
time for the holidays, we've assembled a great schedule of classes
that will be your inspiration for holiday entertaining. Click
on the class title for complete information, then register online,
in the store, or by phone!
December Cooking Classes
 Tue,
Dec 2 - Gifts from Your Kitchen
with Courtney Rathweg (rescheduled from Nov 6th). Space
available.
Harper's Point from 6:30 - 9:00pm. $35
Wed, Dec 3 - Holiday Entertaining with Italian Flair with
Marilyn Harris - Class
Full
Harper's Point from 6:30 -
9:00pm. $65
Fri, Dec 5 - Holiday Cookie Decorating Party with Kara Lough -
Space
available.
Settlers' Walk from
6:30 - 9:00pm. $40
(Also offered Sat, Dec 6 at Settlers'
Walk).
Sat, Dec 6 - Holiday Cookie Decorating Party with Kara
Lough
Settlers' Walk from 11:00am -
1:30pm. $40 Class
Full
(Also offered Fri, Dec 5 at Settlers' Walk).
Winter Class Schedule
The Winter Class
Schedule including classes for January, February,
March, and April will be
available soon! Watch your mailbox, your e-mail, and our
website! A gift certificate for a cooking class makes a great
holiday gift!
3 Ways to Register: On-Line, In
Store, or by Phone
Harper's Point classes - Call
513-489-6400 Settlers' Walk classes - Call
937-748-4540
10%
discount on merchandise on
the day you attend class! (excluding kitchen
electrics). |
Pumpkins
& Squash
|
 Humble pumpkins and squash are enjoying
a renaissance in the culinary world. Part of their
rediscovered allure is the "superfood" title that's been bestowed
upon them. Superfoods hold exceptional nutrition for us, and
squash, with their wealth of beta-carotene, Vitamin A and
micronutrients, fuel our bodies in the right direction. The new
found popularity of pumpkins and squash has fueled an agricultural
resurgence of heirloom varieties with rarities now more
common.
 Pumpkins - Pumpkins span two
holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Creativity for "what to do
with a pumpkin" abounds and ranges from traditional carving to long
distance catapulting! New to the pumpkin world are petite
pumpkins that make cooking and serving the vegetable more
reasonable. Pumpkin is more than just for pie - although that
might be enough given the pleasures of pumpkin pie -- try pumpkin in
bread, muffins, and even as a base for a hearty soup.
Butternut Squash - We like this
squash because it's easier to peel and cut comp ared with some squash.
Marked by a tan exterior, the interior is a bright, rich
orange. The butternut's flesh is less "stringy" than many
squash making it perfect for purees and efficient cubes.
Buttercup
Squash - Similar in shape to a pumpkin, buttercup squash come
in both green and red varieties and sport a sweet flavor and a hint
of nuttiness. With plenty of orange flesh, it's worth peeling
and dicing into chunks for baking or boiling.
 Acorn Squash - The dark green acorn
squash is a familiar one to most of us. The deeply ribbed
exterior sometimes makes it difficult to peel or cube.  Go with the flow and cook this squash
leaving the skin intact. The sometimes bland flesh accepts
both sweet and savory preparations easily.
Delicata Squash - This revived
variety is beautiful with its green and tan markings, and presents a
sweet, delicate flavor. The exterior skin peels easily and the
inner flesh cooks quickly. Use delicata squash confidently for any
squash application.
 Hubbard Squash - Known
for its bluish skin and warty surfaces, we love having it around for
decoration before it becomes eaten. Hubbard squash can be quite
large and intimidating to cook, but yield a lot of value with plenty
of orange flesh.
Turban
Squash - These funky-looking squash are great for visual
enjoyment. Their shape and sometimes stringy fibers make
preparation slightly challenging, but still worth the
effort.
|
Wrestling the Vegetable -- and
Winning
|
Pumpkins and
squash are perfect winter vegetables; as noted, they hold incredible
nutrition and keep well for months in a cool, dark place. But,
squash can be intimidating to deal with in the kitchen. Here are a
few tips for getting comfortable with pumpkins and
squash:
Match the
Purpose - Match the squash with a recipe appropriate to its
shape and desired outcome. If a squash is to be pureed, plan
to bake or roast it without the hassle of peeling, then scoop the
tender flesh away from the skin. If chunks of squash are the
desired outcome, go for a  butternut or buttercup squash that will be easy
to peel and cube.
Use a Sharp
Knife - Squash can be tough! We've had squash in front
of us that caused us to ponder and wonder just how to proceed!
Key to any approach is the right knife. Choose a chef's knife
with a long, sturdy blade that won't bend under pressure.
Begin by trimming the less tough blossom end of the squash to make a
flat base for further slicing or peeling.
 Cooks'Wares
offers Professional
Knife Sharpening Services at our stores for $2.50 per blade,
any brand. Drop off at the store; we'll call you when your
knives are ready. Allow 3 to 5 days. (Sorry, no cleavers, serrated blades, or
scissors).
Roasting
vs. Boiling - Squash is a water-laden vegetable. We
suggest baking or roasting squash to evaporate some of the water and
to concentrate the vegetable's flavors. For ribbed squash, cut in
half or in large wedges. Place the pieces cut side down on a
baking pan lined with parchment paper. To roast peeled chunks
of squash, scatter on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single
layer, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. The
parchment paper lining makes clean-up infinitely
easier.
Suitable
Pairing - Some people find the taste of squash too much when
eaten alone. A great way to create a positive experience is to pair squash with other
foods. The cookbook featured below offers several creative
combinations for incorporating healthy squash into delicious
recipes. One of our favorite suggestions is to combine diced
squash in grain dishes.
Improvising - Considering the
nutrition and price value of squash it's too good to ignore.
Substitute squash for potatoes in your favorite recipes, or
substitute pureed squash wherever applesauce might
appear.
|
Thanksgiving
Countdown
|
 Special occasions don't just happen.
They start with a generous desire to create a wonderful experience
and result from careful preparation. Thorough preparation allows for
maximum enjoyment in the days prior to Thanksgiving, and the day
itself. With good planning, there is no last minute panic and the
good intention of a wonderful experience is fulfilled. Let us help
you prepare with the tools and specialty items that create a
distinctive occasion.
This is the weekend to plan ahead and get
organized. Do you have everything you need? Here's a starter
checklist to help your planning:
The Menu
- Decide on the menu
- Determine the quantities of each dish
- Make a grocery list
- Schedule cooking tasks mindful of oven and range constraints
- Schedule use of your cooking pots and pans
- Set out serving dishes and utensils for each menu item
- Prioritize your efforts -- (it's ok to cross some ideas off
the list!)
The
Table
- Launder and iron the tablecloths and napkins
- Fill a cornucopia with a "harvest" of fruits and flowers for
the centerpiece
- Experiment with new fall colors for the candles
- Polish and ready the silverware
- Wash and shine the stemware
- Count and stack the dishes for each table setting
 Count the chairs ensuring enough for
everyone; tighten rickety ones Turkey
Tools
- Roasting pan - (real pans don't bend or crumple)
- Basting tool
- Turkey lacers
- Kitchen string
- Turkey lifters - avoid a "Pumpkin Platter"
- Thermometers -- the new digital probes are great!
- Gravy strainers, fat skimmers
- Leg frills -- (go ahead; go for the photo op!)
Pie
Accessories
- Pie Plates
- Pie Crust Shields -- (the new silicone shield is awesome!)
- Pie Weights
- Pastry Cutters -- (homemade crust is still the best)
- Pie Servers
 Everything
Else
- Pots -- large ones for the larger quantities
- Hot pads -- (throw the ones with burn marks out; or at least
hide them from your guests)
- Dish towels -- woven, 100% cotton, linen, or lint-free
micro-fiber are the best!
- Whisks for whipping cream
- Nutcrackers
|
Smart
Thanksgiving Tips
|
 Tip #1: After planning your
menu, make a copy of the recipes that you intend to use. The copies
will avoid a tower of cookbooks and magazines on your kitchen
counter. They will preserve your good cookbooks from stains and
splatters (though these do add such nice character). The recipes can
be allocated to specific kitchen help more easily. No flipping pages
back and forth when the recipes are in the same book. After the
event, staple the pages together for your entertaining scrapbook, or
for next year's planning.
Tip
#2: Try out your new recipes for Thanksgiving dinner
ahead of time to see if you like them. A dress rehearsal will let
you know how much time the new dish will take to prepare and to
determine if you'd like to add any enhancements. Decide how you will
present the dish - choose the serving dish, serving utensils and any
garnish. Use a "sticky note" to mark which serving bowls or trays
will hold what dish.
Tip
#3: Clean out your refrigerator and freezer this
weekend to give yourself plenty of room to maneuver in the weeks
ahead. "Eating from the freezer" will save time over the next few
days while making room for do-ahead dishes, or the new Thanksgiving
leftovers. Don't forget to triage the refrigerator door. You know
some of those jars have been there too long!
Tip #4: Some candle wicks are
difficult to light. To avoid problems at the critical interval
before seating your guests, prep the wicks ahead of time for easy
lighting. First trim the wick of the candle to no more than one-half
inch in length. Light the wick for a very brief time, burning only
one-quarter inch of the wick. Do not let any of the wax melt. Trim
up to one-eighth inch of the burned wick away. The candle will now
light quickly and will not produce any excess ash or droppings.
|
Q & A
|
 Q: Everyone wants to "help" in the
kitchen at Thanksgiving time, but sometimes this is anything but
helpful. What's the polite way to deal with all this eager
"help?"
A:
Embrace the moment! No, not everyone will know your kitchen or
perhaps "live up to your sta ndards," but that's not what's important
on this day. Thanksgiving is a time when people come together
to enjoy each other's company as well as good food. Make your
kitchen an easy place for people to help out. Create work
stations for different dishes. "Stock" the workstation with a
copy of the recipe, the required utensils, and ingredients.
This will keep many hands busy at once without the hassle of "where
do you keep the --?", or "I need -". Then relax and enjoy the
camaraderie that kitchens are famous for.
Q: How do I keep my pumpkin pie from
cracking in the center?
A:
Cracking of the pumpkin filling is usually the result of
baking at a temperature that is too high resulting in over-baking.
Use an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is calibrating
correctly. Don't bake the pie too long. Remember, even after
the pie is taken from the oven, it will continue to bake and to set
up as it cools.
Q: How can I
avoid streaks and spots on my stemware and
glassware?
A: Wash
fine stemware by hand in warm water with a mild detergent. Adding a
small amount of vinegar will counteract hard water spots.
Rinse with warm
water and gently dry with 100% woven cotton, linen, or lint-free
micro-fiber dish towels. Make sure to wash and dry the dish towels
without using
any fabric softener or dryer sheets to further avoid any
streaks.
Q: We're invited to a friend's home
for Thanksgiving. What is the proper etiquette for bringing a
hostess gift?
A: Sharing a meal with others
is the core spirit of Thanksgiving. Discuss with your hostess
ahead of time what you might bring to contribute to the
occasion. Have a few suggestions ready; that will help your
hostess by knowing what you're comfortable with making or
bringing. If your hostess insists "just bring yourself," it's
still appropriate to bring a gift of some sort. A bottle of
wine or a beautifully packaged gourmet food item for the pantry is
always gratefully
received. |
Cookbook
Review
|
A Harvest of
Pumpkins and Squash by Lou Seibert Pappas with photography by
Maren Caruso. Published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.
Copyright 2008.
 This charming little cookbook takes a
single topic, pumpkins and squash, and brings it to life in recipes
for any time of day and any season of the year. The book
provides an introduction to this marvelous vegetable and details the
many choices and uses of squash. Recipes are presented in
logical sections including: Breads and Breakfast, Soups,
Salads and Sides, Entrées, and Desserts. In addition to
showcasing winter squashes, the book also covers summer squashes
with equal thoroughness. The full-color photography is
luscious and generous. The pictures are not only
mouth-watering, but provide innovative ideas for serving the recipe
at hand. We can't wait to try the Sesame, Quinoa, Butternut
Squash, and Pear Salad or the Sugar Pumpkin and White Cheddar Cheese
Soufflé with Garlic Sourdough Croutons, but start with the three
recipes below, you'll be
delighted. |
Recipes
|
Recipes excerpted from A Harvest of
Pumpkins and Squash by Lou Seibert Pappas with photography by
Maren Caruso. Published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA.
Copyright 2008. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
All rights reserved.
Roasted
Butternut Squash Polenta
with Fried
Sage
 This dish
celebrates two American vegetables - corn and squash. The
golden yellow and orange colors are enticing and the taste equally
satisfying. The squash, roasted to concentrate flavors, can be
prepared ahead of time. The polenta comes together quickly and
keeps warm without any downside. The fried sage is the best
part - even if you don't make the polenta, make sure and find a
place to include some fried sage in your Thanksgiving menu, it's
incredible!
Click here to view the full
recipe.
Click here for a printable version of
the recipe.
 Cranberry-Walnut
Pumpkin Coffeecake
By calling this
"coffeecake" you're allowed to serve it as early as breakfast!
The pumpkin flavor provides the canvas for the autumn spice mélange,
the tart cranberries and the crunchy walnuts. This moist
recipe works up very quickly and keeps well for several days.
You and your guests will love a piece of this cake with a great cup
of coffee!
Click here to view the full
recipe.
Click here for a printable version of
the recipe.
 Pumpkin-Maple Pecan Pie
with Cognac Whipped
Cream
If you're looking for a variation on your
traditional pumpkin pie without straying too far, this one is for
you. The crust works up quickly in the food processor, the
filling is enriched with half-'n-half, and the pie is topped with
fantastic glazed pecans and flavored whipped cream. The result
is a pie whose flavors are definitely more than the some of its
parts!
Click here to view the full
recipe.
Click here for a printable version of
the
recipe.
| |
That year, a decorative pumpkin was
plopped on the turkey platter as an impromptu understudy, and
side dishes became the main dishes. This issue celebrates the
season and the icons of the moment, pumpkins and squash.
We'll provide a primer to the types of squash available, some
tips for handling squash, and a Thanksgiving prep
countdown. Finally, we finish with some primo recipes
good for any meal, but especially nice for a new twist on the
Thanksgiving menu.
