Thoughts from the kitchen.
 Is there anything better than bread? How about when you add cinnamon apple whiskey to the mixture? It may not be your thing, but Big Guy and I were excited to get another gift of bread from our neighbor, @almawi__. She texted us to check our front porch for the package. I am not sure who got to the door first, but I can guarantee you the cutting board and bread knife were quickly pulled out for a taste test. She took sourdough loaves and filled them with the cinnamon apple whiskey preserves she got from a friend. Just to amp up the flavor, she added a cinnamon sugar crumb topping and vanilla cinnamon stewed apples. It was Fall on a plate and so delicious. I love knowing that our goodies from the garden were shared with her friends through her bread, and now she is sharing gifts from her friends back with us. This is a shining example of kindness and care for one another in a not so kind world!   I was going through the freezer checking on dates and doing an inventory so I could plan future meals with the goal of using our frozen food ingredients. It was a moment when I realized my mom was not crazy when she used to say she could not remember everything she had in her freezer. I say this as I pulled out a bag of butternut squash pasta and had to ask Big Guy when and where we bought it. Sigh! The timing was perfect as this is certainly a Fall meal that I enjoy especially when I do a brown butter sage sauce. The sauce is two ingredients, butter and sage. The trick is watching the butter brown without burning and adding the sage into the butter as it turns golden brown. Mix in the cooked pasta and you have dinner! So easy!  Fall is in the air, and outdoor festivals, markets, and pop ups are happening all over the Lou. It is the one time of year I indulge in kettle corn and feel like I can breathe again. It is also a time when I have a hard time passing by a booth with pretzels and cheese. We have fine vendors such as @sltpretzelboys, who offer up outstanding options. It got me thinking about my recent @kingarthurbaking catalog and I remembered seeing pretzel bite mixes. How could I not buy a box and try making them at home? It was easy to make and with prep and baking time, I was finished in an hour. They were so delicious and I knew they were good when my food conscious son grabbed two of them as he walked out the door! Success!  I was checking my freezer when I was inspired to recreate, from memory, a 30-minute dinner made by @rachaelray. If I remember, she called it a quick lasagna-like meal without the extra work. I started with layering my sauce, cheese ravioli, and Provel cheese in three stacks. Yes, my @carondeletkitchen twist in homage to St. Louis. I simply popped it in the oven and let it do the rest. As the pasta baked in the oven, I mixed up a small salad and dinner was ready. Easy!  I have a little @inagarten in me that says it is fine to use store bought food including starter kits for soup. Do not misunderstand me in thinking I never make a soup from scratch. Honestly, it is most of the time, but with our busy schedule, there are days I want soup without additional work. I recently grabbed a package of Potato Soup from Thompson Farm Soups and More. I decided to grab my slow cooker and let it do the work for me while we ran errands. The only change I made was to use chicken broth instead of water. I truly believe why use water when you can enhance the flavor profile with a lovely broth. I added milk an hour before serving the soup to give it that creamy thickness that I associate with potato soup. I also could not avoid the temptation of serving it with bacon bits and cheddar cheese. |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
October 2026
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