Feeding A Need...

As an educator, I am a big believer in using every teachable moment that comes my way, whether in the classroom, the kitchen, or a service learning experience. Especially this year- my second graders love special projects and having important "jobs." When we learned that St. Columbanus, our sister parish, was struggling with a recent spike in the number of guests to their weekly food pantry, I jumped on the opportunity to show my class the importance of serving others. My how they rose to this extra-special challenge!

We discussed how we could best help the St. Columbanus Food Pantry and they decided on a schoolwide food drive "challenge." The food drive would be contest between the classes- the class who collected the most food would win a special prize. My kids decided that the special prize would be sweet treats baked by their second grade teacher/culinary enthusiast. They also decided that they should also get a treat for organizing the drive. I have a major soft spot when it comes to my sweet students, so I had to cheerfully agree! The kids made posters to put all over the school, visited classrooms to talk about our project, and each day, tallied the collections and graphed each class' progress. Talk about teachable moments!

We were thrilled when, at the end of the week, we had over 1,200 food items to donate to St. Columbanus. The boxes and bags covered most of my classroom floor and I was grateful to have a crew of school families to help deliver all of it. St. Columbanus is on the south side, so we gathered on Sunday to load the cars and caravan on down. We'd deliver the food, take a tour of the food pantry, and attend their Sunday Mass. It was a great feeling when the kids were able to see where their collections went and that all of their food filled three pallets!

At. St. Columbanus, the food is distributed on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 A.M. We learned from LaVerne Morris, director of the pantry, that guests begin lining up at 6:30 A.M. to receive two bags of food- one of dry items (cereals, pastas, etc) and one of fresh items (fruits, veggies, and meat). In the week before we visited, they served over 400 guests! I can only imagine the dedication and organization necessary to pull a project like this off on a weekly basis! They are supported, in part, by the greater Chicago Food Depository, but rely just as much on the generosity of sharing parishes, charitable organizations, and supportive individuals. If you happen to fit in one of these categories and think you might be able to help, please visit: http://www.stcolumbanuschicago.org/foodpantry.html. I may even bake you a sweet treat if you do!

Check out this WGN News Clip to learn more about the St. Columbanus Food Pantry:

When life gives you lemons...

...make cheesecake! More specifically, cheesecake with lemon curd topping. Yum! Now that there's a hint of spring in our Chicago air, I find myself craving lots of fresh flavors. I think that's to be expected after a long winter of hot soups and heavy dishes. Knowing my fair city, the warm weather is a long way off, yet the citrusy flavors and creamy texture of this dessert are a nice preview of what's to come.
Although there are many different methods for making cheesecake, I've found that the most important thing is not to overbeat the filling. The goal is to keep it as creamy and light as possible and overbeating can make the filling tough. I also don't generally use a springform pan. I find that they have a tendency to leak and a cake pan works just fine. Plus, it's one less thing to have to keep in your kitchen! It is an extra step to turn out the cake at the end, but it isn't too tricky. Finally, I do use a hot water bath to bake my cake in. I've experimented with other methods, but I really think that it helps to keep the cheesecake very creamy.

Citrus Cheesecake with Lemon Curd

Crust:
9 whole graham crackers
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions:
1. Grease an 8-inch cake pan (NOT springform), line with a round of parchment paper, and grease again.
2. Crush graham crackers until fine in texture. I like to use a food processor to grind them.
3. Blend in the brown sugar into the graham crackers until ingredients are evenly distributed.
4. Stream in butter and stir to combine.
5. Crumble mixture together with hands and press into pan.

Filling:
3 8-ounce packages light cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
4 eggs
1/3 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Have the pan prepared with the graham cracker mixture and place in a larger baking or roasting pan with deep sides.
3. Place the cream cheese, sugar, and salt into a mixing bowl. Cream them together with a paddle attachment on medium speed until very soft- almost the consistency of mayo.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Lower speed and add the eggs, yogurt and vanilla.
6. Blend ingredients together until mixture is smooth.
7. Fold in lemon zest.
8. Pour cheesecake into prepared pan.
9. Place pans in oven.
10. Pour an inch of hot water into the roasting pan so that the cheesecake will bake in a water bath.
11. Carefully close the oven and bake until the center of the cheesecake is just set, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
12. Remove cheesecake pan from the water bath and cool completely.
13. Once cheesecake is completely cool, place a flat plate on top of the pan and turn cheesecake onto it.
14. Place another flat plate on top of the cake and turn again so the cake is right side up.

Lemon Curd:
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, gently whisk together the eggs and half the sugar just until combined. Do not add too much air to the eggs.
2. Combine the lemon juice, zest, and half of the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
3. Temper egg mixture with about a third of the boiling juice. Whisk in the rest of the juice.
4. Pour mixture into saucepan and bring to a boil while whisking vigorously.
5. Continue to boil for about 1 minute- until mixture has thickened slightly. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Be careful not to overcook or you will end up with scrambled eggs!
6. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
7. Add the butter, 2 Tablespoons at a time, stirring well after each addition.
8. Once the mixture is smooth and the butter is fully incorporated, set over another mixing bowl filled halfway with ice to chill, stirring occasionally. The curd will thicken as it cools.
9. Once the cheesecake is completely cool, pour lemon curd over the cake, spreading with a spatula to completely cover the top.
10. Slice and serve!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In my family growing up, St. Patrick's Day was always a fun and extra special day. This definitely had something to do with the fact that I grew up in an Irish family, but even more than that, it also happened to be the day that my parents got engaged. We all eagerly anticipated March 17 each year, as it was always good for a little festive fun. Whether it be the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown, onion loaf and the Sullivan Brother's at Hackney's, or our traditional corned beef and cabbage family dinner, there was fun to be had! It is no surprise to me, then, that St Patrick's Day has become for me more and more of a family holiday over the years. I can't imagine it any other way.

For the past six years, my husband and I have celebrated St. Patty's Day with my grandmother. I look forward to the corned beef, the soda bread, and the good conversation each year. It is a tradition I'm definitely glad we started! Since I'm someone who loves to try out new recipes, over the years I've tried a few different methods and techniques for those traditional Irish dishes. I think I'm still working out the kinks on a perfect corned beef recipe, but the recipe I have for soda bread is just out of this world. I wish I could say that the recipe is mine, but save for a few small adaptations, Brother Rick Curry deserves the credit. It is out of "The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking" and is tender, slightly sweet, and chock full of raisins. It is the perfect addition to your St. Patrick's Day meal or leftover with a cup of tea or coffee the next morning. Be sure to keep the extra soda bread carefully wrapped as it will dry out.

Ingredients:
5 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick butter
2 1/2 cups raisins, soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes and drained
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, slightly beaten

Directions
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
-Cover a sheet pan with parchment and spray lightly.
-Stir together the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
-Cut in the butter and mix very thoroughly with your hands until it gets grainy.
-Stir in raisins.
-Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture.
-Stir until well moistened.
-Turn out dough into 2 sections on the sheet pan and shape dough sections into 2 round loaves.
-Brush the top with a little extra buttermilk and score.
-Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown.
-Cool on the pan for a few moments, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Dinner for Two

It's hard to believe, but it has been a month since I have posted here. This is probably just as well, as my culinary endeavors have been rather limited as of late. Between a killer bout of the stomach flu and a persistent sinus infection, my food has been pretty bland and boring. I'll be a very happy girl to go without any more saltine crackers and chicken noodle soup for a while.
Now that my appetite (and sense of smell) seem to have returned, I've been eager to get back into my little kitchen. I have all kinds of ideas and new recipes I'd like to try. If only there were a few more hours in each day...

For dinner tonight, I wanted to make a nice meal for my husband and I and settled on pork tenderloin with roasted potatoes. The pork is marinated in a tangy blend of orange juice, fresh rosemary, and garlic. It is so good when paired with rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes. Add in a salad and you've got a great standby meal that is just perfect for two people. Multiply this recipe as needed because it is just as good for a dinner party of twenty as it is for two.

Citrus Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1/4 c. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 pork tenderloin (mine was about 1 1/4 pounds)

Directions:
1. Line a sheet pan with foil and place a roasting rack over it.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients.
3. Season with the rosemary, salt, and pepper.
4. Stream in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified into the marinade.
5. Place pork tenderloin in a glass dish and pour marinade over the top.
6. Marinate for at least an hour, turning the meat occasionally.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
8. Place pork tenderloin on roasting rack and into the oven.
9. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of the meat reads 160 degrees. This will take about 35-40 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow to rest for a few moments before slicing.

Roasted Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 pound small roasting potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed.
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. garlic paste
1/4 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Pinch of black pepper

Directions:
1. Line a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut potatoes in half and place on baking sheet.
3. Stir together the garlic and olive oil.
4. Drizzle this over the potatoes.
5. Season with the rosemary, salt, and pepper.
6. Place in oven along with the pork tenderloin and roast until potatoes are tender and golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.