I love my book club.  When the meeting is at my house, I get all themey, and plan the menu around the book we are reading.  We just finished Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, and today, I am happy to share my Coast-of-Maine-themed book club dinner, plus some Book Club Cuisine Toppers I designed for you to use on your own Book Club fare.  They can be used for any book.  For example, I served Basket of Trips Blueberry Crisps from the kitchen of Olive Kitteridge.  But, if you were reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett, you might serve Minny Jackson’s Best Fried Chicken from the kitchen of Celia Foote.

Notice I used the words “you might serve” instead of “you might cook” … this is because, if you are like me, you might be speed-reading your last chapter on the day the meeting is to take place at your house.  For this reason, clever procuring of your thematic refreshments might be the only way to go.  In fact, if you listen to audible books, as I do, you can listen to your last pages while driving to your favorite food market.  How’s that for multi-tasking?

Here is a link to the printable Book Club Cuisine Toppers I made for you, a very easy DIY project you can make while listening to the end of your story.  They are constructed in the same manner as these Birthday Toppers.  Just cut one out, paste to a piece of card stock, tape a skewer to the back, and then tape it to a second piece of card stock to cover the skewer.  I added a raffia bow just because.  The fun part is creating the names for your dishes.  See below for some of the catchy cuisine titles I included in our menu.  (Well, they seemed catchy at the time.)  And I have included a link to the blueberry crisps that, in fact, I actually did make from scratch.  Thank goodness for fail-proof Alton Brown.

I decided to go with a seafood menu since the story takes place in a small town in Maine, combined with a few dishes of olives, in honor of our main character’s name.  I also wanted to offer a hearty fare because I knew Olive Kitteridge, who loved to eat, would have wanted it that way.  Due to some tight deadlines, I knew I could-not-would-not be able to actually make seafood anything, so I used my excellent hunting-gathering skills and came up with a book club dinner menu which might have been prepared in Crosby, Maine, but was easily gathered in Austin, Texas.  The perfect accent was provided by Mother Nature who gave us a very unusual blanket of snow on the day of our meeting, so we could even have a real fire in the fireplace without turning on the air conditioner.

This was our menu … feel free to steal any of these apropos titles if you are reading Olive K.  For appetizers, I served Olive’s Abrasive Yet Tender Olives from Whole Foods and Mother of the Groom Shrimp Appetizer from Central Market.

For dinner, we enjoyed Olive’s Clam Chowdah (an interesting-sounding title when uttered with my Texas twang) from Whole Foods.  I added some Half & Half to make it a little less thick.  I garnished it with some freshly ground black pepper and some chives.  Schoolteacher Salad with Maine Blueberries and Olive’s Big and Blunt Baguette (with Butter, of course) rounded out the main course.

After a lively discussion, individual ramekins of Basket of Trips Blueberry Crisps came out, which I actually made from a great and easy recipe by Alton Brown.  Here is a link to the recipe and to a little video that I found very handy when wondering if the “crushed ginger snaps” should be chunkety or crumbledy.  (It turns out they should be chunkety.)  I mixed half ginger snaps with half shortbread cookies for my cookie portion of the crisp, but you can make any kind of mix you choose.  The Maine blueberry mix was made with half blueberries and half raspberries, and, since it is winter, our Maine blueberries were actually from Chile. The nuts I chose were pecans (to lightly toast before adding).  I can also report that the recipe for the topping was more than enough and I have a large amount of the crumble left in my freezer, which I plan to pop onto any fruit any time we have a hankering for a fruit crisp.

So there you go. Happy reading with a Maine menu to match.
P.S. If you have a good book that your book club has enjoyed, please let us know in our comment section.  We are always looking for a tasty new read.

This is Jewish Penicillin with a Greek accent made by an Episcopalian. I prescribe it to anyone who catches a cold. Over the holidays, the poor pitiful patient was me … I caught a dastardly cold, and then, I passed it on to all of my fellow family members. (And, I promise, I was taking precautions to cough into my elbow and everything!) But, alas, our family cold passed from sister to dad to sister. Once I was perky again, however, and my youngest gal was a sniffly mess, I put on my Dr. Mom scrubs and went to work on my sure-fire cure for the common cold: Cathy’s Feel Better Chicken Soup. Secret ingredient: Lemon.

When we lived in New York, a friend from Greece served us Greek Chicken Soup. It was very comforting, as chicken soup should be, but more so, its lemony accent gave it a wonderful flavor, as well as adding a nice shot of Vitamin C to supplement its curative powers. A few years later, I bought the cookbook, New York Cookbook by Molly O’Neill, which was full of great recipes from the neighborhood chefs of New York. And, lo and behold, there was an entire chapter on the chicken soups of New York City, from Jewish delis to family recipes … one of which was Katherine Polyzo’s Avgolemono, a Greek classic. I gave it a try, and sure enough, it was exactly the same as the Greek chicken soup we had loved. And we have been making it ever since, especially when someone catches a cold. Or, an alergy. Or, even a sneeze.

When I am preparing this for grown-ups, I use every ingredient in the recipe, but when I am making this for younger patients, I occasionally receive some complaints about the green things … and the orange things.  So, in order to get some healthy broth into the tummies of your littlest patients, I recommend this: Prepare the soup using all of the vegetables in the recipe, (extracting all the great taste and the vitamins from the vegetables) and then just take them out before serving your little ones.  Everyone is happy.
Click here to download a free downloadable recipe page.  You can collect them and put them in your own recipe binder, or try this one we created for Tapestry by C.R. Gibson.

Not only will this soothing soup make your patients feel better, but it is a great gift for under-the-weather friends, or even just a “Yep, it’s still winter” present for someone you love. I filled my Feel Better Fast basket with two jars of magic chicken soup, and the ingredients for my other cold cure: hot tea with lemon and honey.  Feel free to add a mindless movie or two.  (My nostalgic memories of some oddly happy sick days wouldn’t be complete without a few episodes of Bewitched.)  Finally, throw in a few oranges for Vitamin C and color, and, now, you can just pop on your red riding hood and run it over to granny’s.

Shhhh. This is a secret.  Don’t tell Margaret, but this will be her surprise on Valentine’s morning.  Every year on Valentine’s Day, the girls wake up to some kind of totally-decadent non-healthy, sugar-filled surprise … a little bit like Christmas stockings, only all red and pink.  This year, we only have one girl at home, and she will actually be playing in a soccer tournament on Valentine’s weekend, so when she gets home from all that sweaty fun, this pile of sugar will be waiting for her. (Makes your teeth ache just looking at it, doesn’t it?)

You might like to create a similar present for your favorite little Valentines this year.  Big Valentines love it, too!  This is a very EASY project, with a nice big wow effect for the recipient.  With the little Love Note Flags that fly over each muffin tin, you can make it very personalized.  You can even make it healthy, with tins full of granola, nuts and fruit … naaahh.  Just go for the gusto.  It’s Valentine’s Day!

Click here for super easy instructions.

While making Happy Valentine’s Day boxes for my college kiddos, I decided to use Mini Tootsie Pops as edible filler.  As I tossed them in, for just a moment, it looked as though one was looking back at me.  With a little embellishment from my trusty pen, he really was looking back at me.  (He didn’t wink, though.  That would have been weird.)  But, Ding!  Idea for a Valentine’s Day treat.  I decided to make a whole batch of Tootsie Pop People for Margaret’s Advisory Snack Day.  As I began, I realized that they needed a way to stand, since they had no legs, so I decided to give them big sweet cupcake chairs.  When I finished the project, I thought they looked a little bit like they were all seated in the movie theatre just waiting for the romantic movie to begin.

To begin, I needed a recipe for a great cupcake.  Margaret suggested that I use Funfetti cake mix from the grocery store, but I had just finished a tight deadline, and I was in the mood to make them from scratch.  I chose a recipe from the Magnolia Bakery in New York City because when I searched the web, it was mentioned all over the place.  (I did not choose it just because it was the favorite cupcakery for the Sex in the City ladies … I promise, I learned about that later!)  You can see the recipe here. And, if you click here, you can see a nifty how-to apply-frosting video from the cupcake pros at Magnolia Bakery.  This recipe did indeed yield some tasty cupcakes that blended with the buttercream frosting for a melt-in-your mouth happiness, but just so you know, I suspect I would have recieved the same appreciation for Funfetti cupcakes from my teen.  So depending on your mood and time, I would suggest this for Step One:  Either prepare your favorite cupcake recipe OR purchase Funfetti cake mix from the grocery store, which is perfectly acceptable, and possibly preferred, if the age range of your audience is anywhere from 6 to 16.

For directions to make EASY Tootsie Pop People Sitting On Cupcake Chairs, click here.

We have planted and replanted these pots for years.  And this year, we filled them with succulents, which to our delight, have been thriving, except for one small snaffoo … rain! Often, after a big rain, the water coming off of our roof forms deep rivulets forcing hunks of soil and roots out of the pots. Although we are grateful for the rain, we are not happy to have to buy replacement plants and start anew.  So this year, and I’m not sure why it took me so long to think of this idea, I bought three umbrellas at the grocery store for the pots under the heaviest downpour areas, and guess what?  IT WORKED!  All of our shallow-rooted succulents are in perfect condition.  Plus, everyone who has come by has remarked on the fashionable attire of our potted plants during inclement weather … no rainy day blues here!

We used to make Mini Pecan Pies when we lived in New York, so that our friends could have a little taste of Texas. These delicious one-bite pies melt in your mouth because the crust isn’t a traditional pie crust, but rather a cream cheese and butter pastry.  (You just can’t go wrong wtih a cream cheese and butter combo!)  We received this recipe at a wedding shower, and you can see from the “loved” look of our recipe card that we have made these many times … or perhaps we are just  messy cooks, but nevertheless, here are a couple of tricks that we have learned through the years which are not mentioned on our card.  1. Use the dough in small amounts leaving the part you are not using in the refrigerator so that the dough stays cool.  This is because the warmth of your thumb as you make the tiny pie crusts will make them too thin on the bottom.   2. Generously grease the muffin tin, so that it is easy to pop them out.  3. Don’t overfill the pecan filling, as it grows a little bit, and if it overflows and sticks to the pan, it’s a mess to pry them out.  4. Quickly pack them in packages for friends, so that you don’t accidentally eat a couple or ten.

Mini Pecan Pies (24 pies)

Cheese Pastry:
1 3-oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup sifted flour (I actually use a little more flour
for easier shaping of the crusts
1 stick margarine

Pecan Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 t.eaaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
dash of salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 egg
Cheese Pastry: Let cheese and margarine soften at room temperature.  Blend in flour.  Chill slightly, about one hour.  Shape into two dozen 1” balls. Press dough in bottom and sides of teacake pans. (Fun part for children–wash hands first!)
Pecan Filling:  Beat together egg, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt just until smooth.  Add pecans.  Place in pastry lined cups and bake in slow oven 325 degrees for 25 minutes until filling is set; cool and remove from pans. Pop one in your mouth … just to make sure it is good enough to share with friends.

This easy, sticky craft project can be immensely satisfying for all ages.  It’s a great way to make personal gifts (putting together custom pet-shaped ornaments can be a sweet idea) and a wonderful excuse to get your hands dirty. I remember loving this as a child, and the semi-nautical scent of the salt dough itself brings back happy memories.

Here’s my mom’s old recipe card for our version of the dough, though I’ve seen it elsewhere with a higher salt-to-flour ratio.  I’ve also seen people recommend adding a bit of vegetable oil to add smoothness, but apparently, this can inhibit the drying of the finished pieces. You might just want to play it by ear.

Candy canes are a great low-stress ornament to pursue. They are quick and easy, and if you color one ball of dough with food coloring beforehand, they do not require painting after they are cooked. Here’s a quick visual how-to demonstration:

I was able to make six candy canes and one small French bulldog from one cup of flour and a half of a cup of salt. The hooks (made from bent and cut paper clips) can be easily inserted into the finished pieces right before they go into the oven.

Happy Baking!

For many Christmases, we made dough ornaments every year.  We haven’t made them in awhile, but every year, we get to relive our dough days.  We giggle about some of our early attempts and tell Margaret some of the stories surrounding them, since she was too little to remember.  For example, the dough ornament to the left is a dough portrait of me made by a fellow art director when we lived and worked in New York City.  (I am holding a giant Design marker.) She arrived at our Christmas party with a bottle of wine and personal dough ornaments for everyone.  We were all very impressed and amused. Recently, Ellen asked me for our bread dough recipe and miraculously, I actually found it.  So soon, Ellen will be sharing her grown-up attempts at the art of bread dough ornament making with all of you.  TIP: Be sure to spray your  artistry with a fixative, or even better, dip it in epoxy, otherwise, while your ornaments are stored for the summer, they might become a tasty dinner for hungry varmints.

Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments

Here’s a little download-able cheer from our studio to yours: quick and easy Christmas gift tags.  (I think I’m going to go with reverse brown paper bag wrapping this year – both due to our abundance of Trader Joe’s sacks and my fondness for brown paper packages tied up with strings.)  However, bland wrapping paper need not result in a bland gift!  Tie it up with re-usable ribbon and some hip Cathy Heck gift tags, which you can download FREE, right here, and you’ve got yourself a lovely little bundle of anticipation.

Can you believe December starts tomorrow! Is everybody ready?

Recently I was filling out a profile for a food blog, and one of the questions was: What is something you’d like to eat or cook?  And my answer was: “I wish I had more time to make my daughter’s advisory snacks on snack days.” (We usually buy the junkiest of snacks the night before, which apparently is perfectly fine with her fellow 16-year olds, but still.)  I kept thinking about my answer, until I finally decided, “I shouldn’t just wish that, I should do that.”  So this week, when her snack day rolled around, I decided to make caramel apples since it’s halloween season.  I know  that’s not exactly health food, but at least it includes an apple. We have also been wanting to include a fun gift for our readers, so I decided to double the fun and design some caramel apple banner toppers that you can make, too.  The artwork link is included below.  If you want to avoid a dental visit, you might use them to decorate some cupcakes, instead.

TaDah! (photo above)  Here is how I did it:  First, I began my quest for the perfect caramel apple recipe, and found this one for Sweet and Salty Caramel Apples, which sounded like it would be appealing to all taste buds.  I added toasted pecans to the bases, because I think toasted pecans make everything better.  Then I put a few grains of sea salt on the tops.  And, I even mastered the art of flinging the chocolate as a final embellishment.
I chose to use dowel rods from the craft store instead of popcycle sticks, because it gave more room for hands to hold without getting sticky.  Then I topped them with our handy dandy toppers and some ribbon and called it a night … a late night.  It ended up taking a lot longer than our usual junk food run, but it was very satisfying.  See photos below, sent to me by Margaret’s advisor, of happy teenagers (and a coach) gobbling down their advisory snacks before returning to class. I thought I might suggest a Halloween-themed Chemistry Lab assignment: Discover a caramel coating that is thick enough to stick to apples, but not so thick as to pull out teeth.  Happy Halloween from all of the goblins at Cathy Heck Studio.

Click here to download our Halloween Toppers artwork .

Click here for easy instructions for making Halloween Toppers.

We’d love to see pictures of your caramel apple successes (and get any tips you might have learned along the way). You can add them as comments to this post below, or email us at friend@cathyhecknurseryart.com.