tis the season they say. and as soon as "they" do we know exactly what season "they" are talking about. the crazy buzzing, running, and spending, and panting and consuming, and eating and wrapping, and sales, and gift cards, and cookies, and sometimes remembering to be grateful, and those times we say, hey, its okay, its the holidays, here take my extra change, have a little more of a tip, hey why not i'll have some more hot coco. that season.

and as we are swept right up into that season, we kinda feel good. a weird kind of good. a safe, we made it to the end of another year, somehow, and we are going to consume and eat and buy stuff till we can't remember what we felt so regretful about the months before kind of good.

a little birdie last week, helped me see how I was wrapped up in the "consumption" that is our conditioning. i was born in the USA, and here we have been conditioned, through no fault of anyone particular, that we can "have it all". its like the dance we were born dancing, it just is, and well, its getting old, tiring, and kinda campy.

this past weekend, we had a death in the family, and we all came together. not necessarily under the pretense of joy, but it was a joyful gathering once we were all together around a table of yummy italian food, old stories, and smiles loaded with love and understanding. we reminisced about how one of the cousin's couldn't get married until the older sister got married and how back in the day the subway out of bensonhurst was only a quarter or two, and when was the last time we had gnocchi with bragioli...(google it.)

the day before, friday morning, i had an audition for a commercial, and in it i played a daughter sitting around a dinner table with my italian grandma and family, eating and laughing and talking about the broccoli rabe and garlic and peppering our table with glorious family moments. needless to say, i didn't have to do any "character study" for this...

everyone left that room laughing saying how much fun that was and enjoying being able to be in that family environment even for a moment before running back out into the cold december air of bustling but lonely new york city.

and it made me realize how important it is to recognize that we are a part of something, a part of the whole, a part of a family. whether its a biological family, a spiritual family, a family of friends, of co-workers, or business partners, of city inhabitants or fellow actors, we are a part of a whole, and we don't need to plug right into the collective crazy, but maybe instead this holiday season, to plug into the collective sea of love and community, of giving and kindness, and of support. of not judging when something different than you know pops up out of nowhere, or plans get switched and life takes a crazy turn, or when the morning commute feels more like a cattle train. we are all in this together, and only as strong as our weakest link, and we cannot rise up until the last one is accounted for.

in that audition, there was no script, just a rough outline of what we were supposed to do, and if one person got lost, we all got lost, it was a family, and we all bouyed each other through the scene, leaving no one out in the cold. that makes for good cinematography;)

as the season builds to its inevitable pregnancy, and joyous birth of all things new, i thought this recipe (which i used for a cookie exchange this weekend!) made sense for "building a familial" holiday....duh...duh..duh...

GINGERBREAD COOKIES!! men and women!

just so you know i didnt use an egg white for my icing...i just mixed confectioners sugar and milk and used a zip lock bag cut slightly at the tip of one end to do my decorations...also...i found a great cookie cutter of girl and boy at wholefoods.

AND, just think you are cutting all these little cookie people form one big dough, so you see, we are really all connected....bon appetite!

Gingerbread Man Cookies

Posted by Elise on Dec 5, 2009

Filed under Bakery, Cookie, Holiday

From the recipe archive. ~Elise

No cookie says Christmas more than a gingerbread man cookie. It's been thirty years since I last made gingerbread men, and it took all weekend to get this recipe right. After starting with a truly terrible recipe from a 1974 edition of the Joy of Cooking (1/4 cup of butter for 3 1/2 cups of flour? - had to throw the whole batch out), I settled on this recipe, which makes some rather tasty cookies.

After running around to several stores looking for the perfect gingerbread man cookie cutter, and getting nowhere, I created my own stencils (see links below). To use them, print them out and fold them in half lengthwise to make it easy to cut along the lines (don't worry if the lines don't perfectly match up, I drew them freehand.) Place the stencil over the rolled-out dough and use a small sharp knife to cut along the inside of the stencil.

Gingerbread Man Cookies Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Cookies

• 3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• Optional raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces, frosting

Royal Icing

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)

METHOD

1 In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

2 In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed. (You may need to work it with your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.

3 Heat oven to 350°. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for "buttons".

4 Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Makes 16 5-inch long cookies.

Royal Icing

The traditional way to make Royal Icing is to beat egg whites and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. With modern concerns about salmonella from raw eggs, you can either use powdered egg whites or heat the egg whites first to kill any bacteria. With the heating method, mix the egg white and lemon juice with a third of the sugar, heat in a microwave until the mixture's temperature is 160°F. Then remove from microwave, and beat in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Using the powdered egg whites method, combine 1 Tbsp egg white powder with 2 Tbsp water. Proceed as you would otherwise. (Raw egg white alternatives from the 2006 Joy of Cooking)

If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Fill a piping bag with the icing to pipe out into different shapes. (Or use a plastic sandwich bag, with the tip of one corner of the bag cut off.) Keep the icing covered while you work with it or it will dry out.

on the fly

yes i have been fly fishing, once. in the rogue river, oregon. in flipflops, i might add, which i highly do not recommend. it was a thelma and louise sort of trip up the coast of the pacific northwest (that i highly DO recommend). my friend and i, thelma, wandered into a bar one night in the small coastal town of gold beach, and sat for a while realizing we did not "blend" in. "i see white people", i said. "i think they keep staring at us because we look "ethnic", she said. and we probably did to these oregonians. we had dark hair, olive skin tones, kissed with summer's golden touch, and ya know new york style, meaning we weren't wearing CROCS. so here we are at this bar, sticking out like elle woods on a camping trip, and this very handsome fly fisherman saddles up next to us. he was free the next day and would be honored to host two lovely ladies(of course he was) on his boat, with his golden retriever, and teach us how to flyfish. we acquiesced, happily, and found ourselves up at the crack of dawn in the middle of the rogue river swinging this pole this way and that way. yes he wore those brad pitt wader things, and we, well like i said flip flops not so good...

it was at this time i understood what being a vegetarian really meant to me, and why for some reason i felt very much okay with eating fish, but not poultry or beef or pork or two-to-four-legged creatures. it was the rush of standing out in the hot sun all day hunting, well kind of, for our food. the thrill and necessity of the food chain. i felt like if i could actually give something all of my strength and time and focus to catching it, then it was okay for me to eat it. we were in this together, at some point the fish would let go, stop struggling, and decide to give its life for our nourishment. five hours later, and no fish caught, salad looked pretty good, anything looked pretty good.

one of my favorite ways to enjoy fish, as i am sure many of you can agree, is sushi. also a nickname given to me in college, sushi is one of the most creative, deeeelicious, and satisfying ways to enjoy a fresh catch. I travel a lot and one sushi experience in particular that stands out was this on-the-water restaurant in seattle with a sushi roll complete with tuna and watermelon and mango and spicy sauce...i think i had died and gone to heaven, and came back speaking japanese..

i do not cook japanese sushi, maybe someday...but instead of a recipe i am including some of the best sushi places in NYC that many may not know of...try them, you will be transformed.

1. Bozu 296 grand street 718 384 7770 (take L to bedford stop walk left to grand st. make another left)

go on a sunday night and ask for Phillip...he will show you the way to gastronomic bliss!

2. Kodama (our midtown fav!) 301 w.45th street @8th ave

ALWAYS A+ ALWAYS, great service, and they are Mets fans!

3. blue ribbon sushi 119 sullivan between prince and spring 212 343 0404

a little more pricey, but superior quality (same guys as the blue ribbon rest) an innovative take on the authentic

4. Masa in the Time Warner building 10 Columbus Circle

yes also a little expensive, but AMAHHHzing sushi

5. Ebisu 9th st between 1st ave and ave A.

unknown, high quality, great sake!

that should keep you busy for a few nights...

sonnet and sauce

when time goes tripping across the end of day,

and gentle fingers brush the sun away,

and over under clouds grow darker grey,

and here and there shy shadows start to play;

when coolness comes and carries with it dusk

releasing all the anguish of the day,

and skin can rest more easy on the husk

as eyes to pin-like pupils find their way;

within this subtle moment, running fast

a quickening, a rush of ready blood

remembers you, and you to me and hast

a bubbling up, a giggling, gurgling flood.

you are the laughter living like to love,

where day and night can kiss in skies above.

this recipe was taken from cooks.com

i have been lucky enough to be able to enjoy some delicious french cream sauces that my boyfriend olivier has cooked for me in montreal. here is a combination of french and italian, well kinda, but not really;)

Enjoy!!

FRESH TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

1 can chopped tomatoes, or 8 plum tomatoes skinned and chopped w/ juice 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 minced onion 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup of whipping cream Fresh basil, torn salt and pepper to taste Heat oil in a sauce pot over med heat and add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is soft. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 min. Add cream, reserving 2 tbsp. Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the last 2 tbsp of cream at the last minute. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve over fusili or linguine pasta. Submitted by: Christina Beatty

broccoli rabe

by the way... the picture here is an actual picture i took one sunny, late july afternoon, during a little bath time. its one of the perks that comes with being a voice over person, you run around all day, "killing time" till the next audition or booking.

in the warm seasons of new york you can relish in this killing of time, toting your digital camera (when its working) around and snapping away. like these little baby birds taking a break from the hot sun to cool off in the broken fountain in the community garden on hudson and charles.

in the slowness of rhythm of the mind, one can quiet the arbitrary urges, and ego-driven persistence of what my guru and teacher calls the body of pain. and when that subsides to a murmuring stir, our eyes are opened and we can notice the little things that bring joy to our lives and others. Like the flapping of the feathers to ward off any residual water of the little bird bath, or the wind running through your eyelashes, reminding us it can reach places we cannot fathom, and the perfection, and simplicity and rarity of broccoli rabe. (pronounced rahhhb)

yes its bitter to taste, but oh so delicious with a piece of italian bread the day after...

(and perhaps a cure-all...speaking of the day after)

i was recently reminded of how lucky i was to be able to find broccoli rabe (sometimes known as broccolini) in almost all grocery stores around me. My nonni and nonno are down south in texas visiting my parents and have been aching to make their famous broccoli rabe ever since thanksgiving. they searched all over katy, some parts of houston, with not a rabe to be found. well, nonni is just beside herself. could it be that the texans won't sell a vegetable that cannot be fried? or perhaps they aren't for bitter, but sweet, and steaky. or maybe no one knows HOW to make this superb, fast, easy, and healthy dish, and if they KNEW, they would jump on the rabe wagon. SO here is my favorite way to make some rabe, and if you live in texas or know people in texas maybe you could send it along to them, and see if they like it. perhaps we'll begin a rabe revolution deep in the heart of texas!

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch (or two for family of four healthy eaters) of fresh broccoli rabe

1-2 bulbs (thats right bulbs) of garlic (we are Italian here we love the garlic)

2 Tbls (or more, to taste) of olive oil

1 tsp of salt (again or more or less to taste)

(you can sub the Braggs omega spray if on low salt diet)

1 tsp of fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)

Wash Rabe and cut off ends (about inch and 1/2)

Combine olive oil and garlic and salt and pepper in saute dish on med heat

Add freshly washed rabe, allow some water to be on them so when you cover pan it steams the rabe in the pan as well as saute.

When soft to touch, its done!

Plate and squeeze lemon and add some red pepper flakes for added flavor.

mmmmenjoy!

*You can add other veggies or onion or whatever you want to add flavor, but remember that the broccoli rabe has a very bitter strong flavor already so allow it to be the main flavor of the dish.

pumpkin pie

my mother always used the canned filling, even though my grandfather, my nonno, was an italian pastry chef. there was something about that canned filling. sweet, full of gluten, dependable. well, easy and delicious, so who could really complain? I certainly wouldn't when i would easily scarf down, oh, ya know three/four pieces at a time. with a large heaping of coolwhip on each one. Just to be sociable as my uncle charlie would say.

we had our fair share of italian family spats over the turkey. usually about why i was a vegetarian, and how turkey wasn't really meat anyway, and what an insult and familial travesty it was to fill my plate and belly with salad and greenbeans and stuffing. But we'd soon get over it and get distracted by, well, the pumpkin pie.

i learned a lot by watching my nonno bake. "how do you know how much to use nonno? you're not using a recipe?" i would ask, slightly in awe and slightly mortified that i would never be able to reproduce such a masterpiece. "Suzanna, you just know. In life you don't always have a recipe, you know, sometimes you gotta feel it, and you see, a leela dis a leela dat(his italian accent) and you taste. if you love the food, it will love you back, for it chose you on this day to feed your family." I remember when he said this,"you just know." I remember running around the kitchen grasping at a scrap piece of paper and a pen feverishly trying to eye-ball the measurements as he pinched and tossed and tasted, with no cups, no spoons just his "feeling".

there are days i walk around this city wishing for a recipe. Just so i could turn off my "feeling" and follow the fold. could you imagine if we had a dating recipe? okay so add three tablespoons of light stroking of the hair, uh uh, not too much. one cup of mischievous smiles. two cups of lightly sifted sweet kisses, witty jokes and wavy hair tossed lightly off the shoulder. let simmer for a few days, ahhhh he's yours. taste it, deeeelicious.

but alas, as nonno's words ring true, you can't always follow along, go with the collective, repeat the unrepeatable. each pie has its own flavor its own life, each day a different sunrise, each moment a choice. i wonder what would happen if the world began to listen to their "feeling", like nonno, and not what they "should do" or "have to do", or better yet, the ego.

as we give thanks for all we have and don't have this weekend, we can take a moment to sit with that "Feeling" and see what its telling us. where its guiding us. happy thanksgiving.

for all you canned pumpkin pie makers, who wanna follow a recipe, here is a great one! enjoy!...

• Cook Time:

  50 min

• Level:

  Easy

• Yield:

  6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• 1 piece pre-made pie dough
• Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

or for the I'm "feeling" adventurous types....

http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php