 Do you make the perfect apple pie? I do not know if my pie is award-winning, but I do know my family loves it.
I was given this recipe early in my marriage by a fellow choir member. I have made only one change to the original recipe since I think the topping is the secret ingredient that elevates the pie. I doubled the topping because of its rich and buttery flavor. I have been given hugs and love through this recipe. I offered to teach my family how to make it, but I was given the “evil eye” which means I get to live forever making apple pies for my loved ones. I can live with that responsibility.
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 Big Guy and I were in the mood for a good hamburger. We had just finished our speaker’s series workshop by author @mara_mcdowell, Gardening Can be Murder, @mobotgarden. We were in the neighborhood, so we knew we needed to head to @oconnellspubstl. I love the mood of this St. Louis tradition which promotes its “world famous ground sirloin burger and roast beef sandwiches.” The lights are low, but you can hear the din of the kitchen and conversations taking place throughout the restaurant allowing you to ease into the special vibe becoming part of its magic. The history of the place is also fascinating. Did you know that @oconnellspubstl and @failonis operate in buildings originally built by breweries? O’Connell’s Pub was built by the Anheuser-Busch brewery and Failoni’s was built by Lemp? The chandeliers are from the 1904 World’s Fair and the bar is from the original location in Gaslight Square, so you know St. Louis history is honored in this pub. The service is friendly, the portions HUGE, and the prices are exactly right! I cannot wait to make a return visit to this outstanding pub!  Big Guy and I stopped by @johndmcgurks the other day for potato soup. It was a quick pick me up before we headed to the grocery store. We love their traditional Mrs. McAteer’s Potato Soup served up with delicious bread on the side. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it spurred me to add the ingredients to my grocery list to make my own version of this hearty soup. I came across the recipe for a bacon and potato soup recipe which I turn to each time I make this soup. It is time consuming, but worth it. You need to bake the potatoes and bacon ahead of time which is easy when you have Big Guy as your sous chef. Once you are done with the baking part of the recipe, you merely put everything into a pot. How can you go wrong with onions, celery, half and half, cheddar cheese, thyme, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. It is the perfect soup on a chilly day AND freezes beautifully for a later date like which we get our first snow!   I admit I am limited in my ability to bake. It is a skill I am working on with great inspiration from watching baking shows. How hard can it be? I have discovered quickly it is more science than freewheeling cooking. I am used to adjusting my recipe on the fly and creating an acceptable meal. Baking, on the other hand, requires finesse and exact measurements. Do not get me started on whether my butter is softened to room temperature! I will continue my quest to be a better baker. Until I master it, I will accept the fact I am pretty good at cookies. I have been making my “loaded” oatmeal raisin cookies for years with great success. I follow the basic recipe with the addition of pecans and chocolate chips. The perfect fall cookie that is satisfying and can double as a breakfast bar!
 “Only at Failoni’s” is more than a catch phrase for this excellent restaurant located on the edge of Dogtown on Manchester Road. For over one hundred years, the Failoni family have been welcoming hungry and thirty patrons ready for an outstanding meal. The first time Big Guy and I went we arrived on a Friday night in a boisterous room ready to celebrate the end of the week. “Mama” was in the kitchen cooking up the week’s specials and the live music was slowly working into a dance party like nothing we have seen anywhere in St. Louis. The website describes Friday nights as “a throwback to the days of Chicago’s Villa Venice Café, New York’s Copa, and other popular dinner/nightclubs of the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s.” This description nails it as the Friday night vibe especially when we noticed there may have been a “Lola” and “Tony” at the bar. We decided to stop for lunch and enjoy a quieter time with our fellow diners, and their dogs, on the patio. It was the perfect day for spinocci, a delicious wonton filled with spinach artichoke dip, and salads. You can bet we will be back soon for another Friday night of “Copacabana delight! “  Big Guy was so excited to find a Win Schuler cheese pot while we were on one of our antique mall trips. I promised I would pull out my mom’s Win Schuler cheese dip recipe so we could relive the early days of our marriage to see my mom’s own cheese pot filled to the brim with her version of Win Schuler. As I reviewed the recipe, it called for a pound of Velvetta Cheese which immediately reminded me she only made this cheese dip for a party because “it could feed the masses.” I was tempted to make this recipe until I realized I did not have “masses” to feed this large amount of cheese dip. I did the research to pare down the recipe, but even looking up other sources, the star ingredient was the one pound of Velvetta…no substitute! To my delight, I happened to come across it as a pre-packaged item at my local grocery store. The family business has been around for over one hundred years, but I guess even they realized our modern world no longer needs to make a personal cheese dip for a large crowd. If I do, I have the perfect pot!
 If you want to make a mess in your house pull out a scone recipe. I think I was wearing the same amount of flour on my shirt as I had on my countertops. I probably should have taken that picture instead of the final product!
Despite the mess, the work is worth it once you take your first bite. It is a tried-and-true Ina Garten recipe for orange and cranberry scones. I tend to pull ingredients as I need them, but this recipe benefits from mise en place so you can move from each step to the next quickly. You start by mixing the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Once they are incorporated, you add three sticks of diced unsalted butter followed by the eggs and cream. The final step is adding a little more flour and dried cranberries. The messy fun begins once you pull the dough out of the bowl for a quick knead, roll out, and cutting. Before putting them in the oven, you give each scone an egg wash and a sprinkle of sugar. The result is the perfect scone. You can serve it with a glaze topping made of orange juice and confectioner’s sugar or just pull out your favorite jam and butter. You can make up to twenty four scones, so I tend to freeze the extra for future breakfast treats.  I pulled out my tea caddy the other day because the cool days are here. There is something special about pausing in the middle of the day for a cup of tea and a sweet treat. It is just another example of why I love Fall.
I have another favorite Fall cocktail where I turn teatime into evening time with a fabulous hot toddy. It is a simple hot drink with decaffeinated tea, whiskey, honey, and a little sugar. My FIL drank them nightly toward the end of his life telling us it allowed him to slow down from the day and ease into bedtime. He was a wise man which Big Guy and I talked about the other night when we followed his lead. Sláinte!  Big Guy made me chicken noodle soup several years ago when I was feeling under the weather. There is something so special about this soup. It is comforting, filling, and makes you feel right as rain.
As the years went by, I was determined to make my version of his soup. Instead of boiling the chicken, I decided to bake it first so I could get a rich color on the meat. It seems since I made this one change, Big Guy is quite happy to let me make the soup. Thank goodness Fall is here so I could make another batch of this favorite in the Carondelet Kitchen. I opted to add extra noodles to make it extra “healthy!”  I realize you think I am rushing the holidays like they do at the stores, but that is not the case. Big Guy has been toiling for almost a year to create a special whiskey for the holidays. He fermented cask proof whiskey with oranges, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.
Month after month, he turned the liquid “gold” awaiting the day he could taste it. The day finally arrived, and he was rewarded with “Christmas” in a bottle. He is still tinkering with the mix as it came out strongly with clove and star anise notes, but our friends who have been tasting with us have already started suggesting mixes such as rum chata, eggnog, or a hot toddy. I guess, insert a heavy sigh, I will have to sacrifice myself to research, and taste other recipe ideas. What a tough life! |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
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