I bet you thought it was too early for gingerbread houses, right? Well not for a Haunted Gingerbread House. Thanks to Create a Treat you can decorate your own scary cottage complete with jelly beans, black icing, and candy ghosts. Funnily enough, the tray for this house is the same as the tray for the Christmas version and still has spaces in the plastic that would fit the gingerbread people and trees. We decided to fill them up with pumpkin pyramids. I think any 6 year-old would be extremely proud of my and Chris’s artistic vision.

When I originally saw these Chocolate-Hazelnut Smooches aka Witch Hat Cookies on YumSugar I thought they were absolutely adorable. We’ve all made the peanut butter version before and I thought the reinvention of the recipe for Halloween was too cute for words. Unfortunately, while the cookies turned out picture perfect I had numerous problems with the texture. I never know quite what to write when I have a bad recipe experience, but I guess you can’t win them all. So, sorry Giada, but there are a few issues with this one. Read closely my fellow ghouls and ghosties for some ideas you can attempt if you want to use the original recipe with more chewy results.

First of all, chill your dough before you begin working with it, and in between batches if you’re only working with one cookie sheet at a time. Second do not under any circumstances top the cookies with Hershey kisses and put them back into the oven unless you want the chocolate to melt all over the place and make your cookies look ridiculous. Just top them when you pull the tray from the oven. Third, space the cookies far apart. They’ll expand and flatten a lot more than you think. Fourth, do not over cook. In fact, I would under cook them as much as you can. Numerous people have noted in the reviews on the Food Network website that they ended up with pretty orange hockey pucks. My first batch could have broken windows in a matter of minutes. And finally, freezing your kisses will make them less likely to melt into puddles of goo when you do actually top these little problem children with their jaunty black hats.

Of course Chris came home from work and promptly devoured a few and declared them delicious. The issue may simply be that I really like chewy cookies and these are crispy. So it could just be a matter of personal taste. Although, I think next time I’d skip this recipe all together and simply make a good peanut butter cookie, roll it in orange sugar, and get the same effect with less troubleshooting. And if all else fails, which it probably will, toss a slice of bread into the container you’re storing the cookies in and let it sit overnight. That should suitably soften them. Or for a quick fix, 15 seconds in the microwave will also do the trick.  Unless of course you’re really into crispy crunchy cookies, then disregard everything I’ve just said.

Make a Million Tiny Balls	Roll in Neon Sugar
Be Careful Not to Over Cook	Pretty But Deadly

There are some things about living in Maine that I will always miss: a complete lack of traffic, living 20 minutes from the outlets in Freeport, and Ham Italians from Sam’s Italian Sandwich Shop.

Like many people born in Maine I grew up eating these tasty sandwiches. Almost every beach trip from my childhood and beyond began with a stop at a Sam’s store for delicious Italians that we’d pack in a cooler to eat while laying on the hot sand. I was a super picky kid and I would only eat ham, cheese, and pickles. Typically they also come with onions, tomatoes, and green peppers — all of which I do very happily eat now. Once at the beach we’d all split a bag of Munchos potato chips and try not to ingest a cup of sand along with our picnic lunch.

What will always stand out to me is the bread. The rolls are extremely fresh and have the consistency and texture of large bakery style finger rolls. I’m also a huge fan of the American Cheese the store uses. I know it sounds ridiculous to gush about American Cheese, but honestly all of the ingredients put together and splashed with Sam’s special blend of oil tastes completely unique. It’s impossible to duplicate these sandwiches at home. They’re amazing and I’m happy to report that I got to eat one along with a perfect chocolate whoopie pie (that I split with CK) on our way back from a brief weekend visiting my family. I unfortunately left the camera at home but once again my iPhone came to the rescue.

I don’t get the obsession everyone and their brother has with bacon. Personally I’ll eat it on occasion, but honestly since I was a kid I’ve hated the way the smell of cooked bacon lingers in your house for what seems like years after it’s been eaten. My mother and I both go to great lengths to not have that happen, but some creative people over at Super Sized Meals have decided that bacon is the ultimate apple pie addition. I’m a little horrified but thoroughly admire their neat and tidy presentation and since the dessert was described as being “om nom nom” I might just sample a slice if one was offered. As long as they didn’t try to bake it in my house.

Dave MacLachlan, a Mac software engineer at Google was granted a “culinary scholarship” to spend time helping prep in the famous Google cafeteria kitchens. Apparently, even the chefs are called culinary engineers. I like the sound of that title. I’m hardly a chef, but do you suppose it’s safe to call myself a chocolate chip cookie engineer? Anyway, Google is the coolest company ever.

Amy Finley, the winner of the latest installment of The Next Food Network Star, will debut her new show, “The Gourmet Next Door” this Sunday, October 14th a 1:00 PM EST. I’m planning to watch at least her debut episode, but poor Amy looks like a terrified deer paralyzed by the headlights of an oncoming car in every single publicity photo so I really don’t have very high hopes.

I am not a relaxed person and this tendency towards serious neurosis carries over to my time spent in the kitchen. I have mini tantrums when cupcakes get stuck in baking tins, garlic burns, or pot stickers (God forbid) actually stick to the bottom of the pan. If anyone needs a little Zen influence it would be me.

How to Cook Your Life is a documentary by filmmaker Doris Dörrie that follows Edward Espe Brown, a Zen Priest and cookbook author as he attempts to convey how the principles of Zen Buddhism apply to food preparation and your everyday life. It’s an ambitious task that takes the audience on a journey from the relative calm of the retreat kitchens, to homeless people subsisting on garbage, a woman who hasn’t bought groceries in two years and prefers “dumpster diving,” fields of migrant workers, and of course the traditional scenes of American excess consisting of mile high plates of diner pancakes and greasy cheeseburgers.

Edward Brown maintains that, “When you’re cooking, you’re not just cooking, you’re not just working on yourself, you’re working on other people. ” As a child, Edward visited his Aunt in Washington D.C. and experienced homemade bread for the first time. Prior to this he’d only ever eaten processed bread. When he returned home he asked his mother if she would teach him how to make bread, but his mother told him no, “Yeast made her nervous.” How many of us can relate to that sentiment? Eventually Brown learned how to bake and he produced the highly acclaimed cookbook, The Tassajara Bread Book.

The images of bread making in the film are amazing and lush. At times I wished that there was more time spent on the actual act of cooking food, rather than the social commentary surrounding the production and mechanization of food. Edward Brown’s style is engaging and his self-deprecating humor makes him very approachable as he easily admits to his own cooking fiascoes and typical head chef tantrums. Even going so far as to express his frustration and impatience with a particularly over packaged block of cheese by jokingly pummeling it with a spoon.

Brown also recounts a tale of making biscuits for people. He felt that they were the most amazing, healthy, natural, and delicious biscuits that you could make, but people kept telling him that they just didn’t taste “right.” So he tried dozens of variations, made with water, milk, Crisco etc…and then he realized that people were comparing the taste of his homemade biscuits to canned biscuits. Amazingly enough this was their only point of reference for baked goods: pre-packaged, processed food. So his authentic homemade breads didn’t taste familiar to people who’d grown up on McDonald’s biscuits and Pillsbury breads in a tube.

Overall, the takeaway from this film is the importance of knowing where the food you eat comes from and being mindful of the distances it must travel, the processes involved in food growth and production, and making a conscious effort to cut back on waste. There’s a disturbingly graphic and hauntingly honest description from a young boy who recounts having to butcher chickens. As I squirmed in my seat that age old question of “to be a vegetarian or not to be a vegetarian” popped into my head as I wondered if I should be eating roast chicken if I was so uncomfortable with the harsh reality of his tale? Granted this is a manipulative way to get one’s point across, but if it causes you to stop and think even for a few minutes about the choices we make about food everyday (usually with very little thought given at all), than Doris Dörrie has produced a successful message.

So to get back to that little anxiety issue I have in the kitchen…According to Master Eihei Dogen Zenji, in order to calm myself I need to “cut the carrots when I’m cutting the carrots, and wash the rice when I’m washing the rice.” In other words, slow down, and pay attention to what I’m doing while focusing on one task at a time. We’ll see about that…

How to Cook Your Life opens in theaters on October 26th, 2007.

(Originally posted on the Well Fed Network’s blog Edible TV)

When the leaves begin to fall and it’s dreary, dark, and damp outside sometimes we need a truly comforting meal to bring our thoughts and minds out of the impending winter doldrums. Ellie Krieger’s simplistic Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple Slaw requires minimal kitchen efforts especially if you take advantage of the sacks of pre-shredded Cole Slaw readily available in your grocery store. Not that shredding cabbage is particularly difficult, but after sloshing home from a long day at the office in the rain any steps I can streamline in the dinner making process are generally appreciated. Plus, the smell of sage cooking creates such a calming space that you might just want to trade in that evening glass of Pinot Grigio for a tender and juicy pork chop instead. Now don’t get hostile…it was just a suggestion!

Season	Slice
Cut a Few Corners	Brown
Rest	Soften
Add the Slaw	Bury the Pork
Warm	Warm Up & Cheer Up

Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw (Originally published by Ellie Krieger)

NOTE: To make this quicker and easier you can use one 16-ounce bag of pre-shredded carrots and cabbage, called “Slaw Mix” instead of starting with whole cabbage and carrots. This dish can also be a one-pot-meal if you need to swap around. Just serve with some nice brown bread or whole-grain or whole-wheat bread.

4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1 large clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
4 (3/4-inch) bone-in pork loin chops (about 8 ounces each)
1 large onion
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut in 1/2, cored
1/2 head green cabbage, cored
3 large carrots
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Combine the 3 teaspoons of the fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Rub this mixture all over the pork chops and let the chops sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion, apple and cabbage and julienne the carrots (very thin sticks).Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan until hot but not smoking. Add the chops and brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove.

Carefully wipe out the pan. Heat the remaining teaspoon oil over moderate heat and add the onion, apples and remaining teaspoon fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is soft and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrots, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue cooking until the cabbage and carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and return the pork chops to the pan burying them in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook just until the pork chops are just slightly blush in the center, 5 to 7 minutes longer.

To serve, arrange the warm slaw on individual plates and top with a pork chop and pan juices.