Finally here

It's finally here. It's the night before my first real holiday since.....hmmm, can't remember. I don't count Michigan, as a holiday in my mind is truly an escape to somewhere you've never been before. It's hard to believe, but I've never been to California. I've just finished packing my bags, incredibly into a carry-on that includes all of my curly hair products to manage any frizz that the San Francisco fog may blow at me. I've got plenty of eating and drinking just waiting for me on the west coast.

With so many choices, but with only two nights to spend, I've booked tables at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Delfina in the Mission District, and then we're off to Napa. We're meeting my sister and her husband in San Francisco and then driving to Napa for a few days of touring local wineries and eating more fantastic food in the valley. I can't wait to tell you all about it and start cooking from the inspirations I'm sure to find.

We're staying at the Inn on First, and from the looks of it, the breakfasts are stand-out amazing. I'm getting used to having breakfast made for me. Last weekend, my Dad's wife, Lisa, made this amazing breakfast tart. It's almost savory enough to serve with a green salad, but a fruit one will do.

As usual, don't worry about making the pastry yourself and make this for the ones you love this weekend. I'll be back to report on my experience in foodie heaven.

Breakfast Tart

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Serves 4

1 sheet puff pastry (ready-made from the grocery)

1 egg, beaten lightly with 1 tsp of water

3 oz creme fraiche

2 oz shredded Gruyere cheese

8 bacon slices, cooked until crisp

3-4 free range eggs

2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives

Thaw your pastry (I like to put mine in the refrigerator overnight). Lightly grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 425F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it is 1/4 inch thick and is a 10 x 8 inch rectangle. Place it on the baking sheet and score a border 1/2 inch in from the edge around all four edges. Prick the center of the pastry with a fork so it doesn't puff up in the cooking process.

Brush the borders with the egg wash and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the creme fraiche and cheese together and season with salt and pepper. Spread it on the pastry, keeping the border nice and clean. Lay the bacon on top, draping it over each other, and bake for 14 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through cooking.

Remove the sheet from the oven and using a fork, prick any large air pockets that have appeared. Crack the eggs onto the tart so that they're spaced out nicely around the surface. Bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are soft- about 7-10 minutes depending on your oven. Watch them closely at this point- you don't want to over-cook the yolks.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve immediately. I like to cut this with a pizza cutter.

Nostalgia bubble burst

I spent last weekend re-visiting my college town of Bloomington, Indiana with my Dad as my husband rode in the Hilly Hundred. On one hand, the entire campus was gloriously bathed in sunshine, mums bloomed from every street corner and the students traipsing through the leaves took me back to a care-free time where the worst thing that could happen was a pop-quiz. Just as my nostalgia bubble burst, I felt incredibly old.

To combat any walk down memory lane, especially one that included too much fast food and pizza, I yearn for uncomplicated food like the dishes I got on a visit back home. I have a real soft spot for the simplicity of a hearty, soul-warming casserole. Here are two of my go-to recipes that are popped into the oven and emerge steaming and ready serve, with no real need for side-dishes other than a crisp green salad or some bread.

The first is a twist on a traditional English cottage pie, the beef-based brother of the perhaps better known, shepherds pie. I like Jamie Oliver's version which adds cheese to the mashed potato. You can add chives and/or horseradish to the mash- ideal with beef. This is the type of fare my mother-in-law would make for my husband when he came home for a weekend's visit while away at college (or university as they would say in England). She still makes the meanest casseroles I've ever tasted. Whether it's creamy chicken with bacon and potatoes, a simple homemade lasagna or her famous lancashire hotpot, her one-dish meals could warm any soggy Manchester evening. I'll definitely be attempting her hotpot in the very near future.

The second is literally a one-pot wonder. This is almost an ode to my own mother's way of cooking. Although I got many of my skills from her, I remember that she used to take any short cut to make a recipe quicker. That's not always my philosophy, but this roasted vegetable and chicken casserole is exactly the type of meal she would have adored when time was an issue.

I like to use whatever veggies I have in the fridge and I do vary it. I've listed everything below that I used, but you can add whatever you've got in stock. Cherry tomatoes on the vine are a great addition as they tend to burst and add a little sauce to the end result. Just mix everything together and place the tomatoes on the top- two vines would be good with this amount of chicken and veggies.

I always have chicken breasts in the freezer, but I've made this with thighs and legs before to make a more robust roast.

If you cut everything the same size, they'll all cook at the same time.

Roasted Autumn Vegetables with Balsamic Chicken

Serves 2-4

1 butternut squash cut into cubes

1 red onion, peeled and quartered

1 red pepper, cut into fat strips

3 potatoes, cut into chunks

1 small can of sliced black olives

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/2 cup of feta cheese, cubed

1 large handful of fresh basil, torn

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp chilli flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine all of the above (except the feta) and toss everything together in a large casserole dish so that everything is coated equally with the oil, vinegar and seasonings.

Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes until the potatoes, squash and chicken are cooked and tender.

Add the feta and roast for a further 5 minutes until it becomes slightly golden on top and starts to melt.

Serve on it's own or with a salad.

-----------------------------------------

As we left for Chicago, we drove the long way through some old country roads lined with the remains of corn stalks ready to be torn down while some fields were being plowed as we passed.

I remember driving out into the countryside as a kid in high-school to snap some pictures for my photography class. Most of those fields are filled with homes now, but there are still some farms that remain.

After so long spent in another country, it seemed a fitting end to a weekend full of looking into the past.

Stolen and sacred

There are few things I find more soothing than walking quietly through my neighborhood with my dog. With only a few trees to distract Indy, it's a chance for me to clear my thoughts and appreciate a perfect autumn day. Admittedly, when it's warm and the sun is shining, I can slow my pace and allow myself to enjoy the moment- the leaves changing color and the sweet smell of laundry wafting through a window. When it's cold or the rain is beating against my jacket, we're both in a rush to get home.

It's on a day like today, after a week of below normal temperatures and the fear of winter was running deep, that a warm day feels stolen and sacred. It's just a normal Wednesday. My husband has been fighting a cold all week, and instead of venturing out to a few of our favorite local haunts, I've been trying to fill him with as much home-cooked goodness as I can.

Here is a perfect, comforting mid-week dinner idea; seasonal and wholesome, delicious and moreish. It combines my obsession for smooth, creamy parmesan polenta with autumn kale and wild mushrooms.

The basis of the mushrooms comes from one of Jamie Oliver's recipes in Jamie at Home for mushroom bruschetta. I love these fried wild mushrooms spooned over toasted, garlic ciabatta and a crisp glass of white wine. I added kale and all of a sudden, we have a delicious vegetable sauce perfect for pasta or even better, over polenta.

I am lucky enough to live a few doors down from a dry cleaners owned by a lovely little man and Terragusto, an Italian cafe that makes their own pasta daily and serves the creamiest, most heavenly polenta.

Ground polenta is available at Whole Foods and other grocery stores. I use Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits (also known as polenta) and follow the recipe on the bag for a basic Italian polenta. The mixture can be poured into a cake pan and allowed to set, which you can then slice and grill, but I like the creamy version best.

A typical topping for polenta in Italy is a meat and tomato sauce. It's an extremely versatile alternative to other carbohydrates that you may pair with meat, and I especially like it with a simple roast chicken.

Polenta with Kale and Wild Mushrooms

Serves 4

for basic Italian polenta:

6 cups of water

1 tsp salt

2 cups of polenta or corn grits

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup of grated parmesan

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a saucepan and gradually stir in the polenta. Simmer for 30 minutes, keeping it covered as it will pop and bubble. Keep the heat low and stir often so it doesn't stick to the bottom. After 30 minutes, season with salt and add the butter. Stir in the parmesan and take it off the heat. Keep it covered until you're ready to serve.

for the mushroom and kale saute:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 large bunch of kale, roughly chopped

3 cups of wild mushrooms, torn or sliced (crimini, chestnut, oyster or any of your favorites)

t tsp thyme leaves

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp red chilli flakes

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp water

salt and pepper to taste

Tear or slice the mushrooms and heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. It's important that the mushrooms have enough room in the frying pan to lie in one layer or they will not brown properly.

Heat the olive oil and 1 tbsp of the butter in the pan and place the mushrooms in the pan with the thyme leaves, garlic and red chilli flakes. Saute for a few minutes until the mushrooms are just cooked and remove them from pan leaving the juices behind.

Place half the kale (the pieces with the stems should go in first) in the same pan over high heat and add 2 tbsp of water. Cover and steam for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the kale and steam again for a few minutes until just wilted and the stems are tender.

Add the mushrooms to the pan with the other tbsp of butter, then add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Take off the heat ready to spoon over the creamy polenta. Be sure to pour the juices over the polenta and grate some parmesan over the top to serve.