Volunteer

Ok guys, I've been super slack on my Food Bank for NYC duties this month, but with the holidays coming up, it's time for me to step it up.

Thanksgiving is a huge food holiday. It's also a huge time for volunteers. Most soup kitchens get an over abundace of help on Thanksgiving, but struggle the rest of the year to fill their shifts. If you can volunteer on Thanksgiving, by all means, please do, just don't forget the other 364 days a year that need attention too. It's easy to remember to help out on a day dedicated to counting your blessings and being grateful for what you have. It's easy to remember people less fortunate than you when you're feeling so filled up on love and luck. It's much harder to remember that the same people who have nothing on Thanksgiving also have nothing the day after and the one after that. Hunger doesn't know holidays and it doesn't take a vacation. If you have an extra can of food, or an hour or two to spare, give that to someone who needs it. If you have an extra few dollars, give that. I don't care what you do, as long as you remember to give of yourself. Trust me, it goes a long way.

The clients I work with at GCN are some of the most gracious people I've met. They come in looking tired and sometimes grumpy, but most of them cheer up after a plate of food. While I get the occasional client who's bitter and unhappy, more often than not, they thank me for my time. They thank me for smiling and for making them feel taken care of. I go because I get a natural high from being there and knowing that for a few hours, I made someone feel less weary. That's what giving is about, and that's what we should all be doing at every chance we get.

This year, please support Food Bank for NYC, City Harvest, Feeding America, or any of the countless other organizations dedicated to ending hunger. Not just on Turkey Day, but on any day.

Thank You

I have to extend a few thank yous to some people. These are friends, virtual and real life, who have supported and encouraged me in this crazy endeavor to become a chef. Especially in light of how chaotic life became recently.

 A HUGE thank you to my mom, my uncle, and my cousins Dawn and Howie for not thinking I'm crazy, and for making sure I have a roof over my head and a kitchen to practice in. Uncle Matt, Dawn, and Howie's hospitality made it possible for me to be up here in the first place. And Russell for giving up his room to me this summer. I still owe you dinner.

Cheryl, Rho, Casey, Liz, and Lanae for all the positive words and input on my recipes. You girls never cease to express your faith in me, or fail to let me know how proud you are. Extra thanks to Cheryl for buying my products and playing guinea pig.

Michael for being Michael. For introducing me to Sean and Alex. For Giorgio's. For taking me to dinners at restaurants I've dreamt of eating at for a long time and introducing me to new ones. And for loving my cookies and other baked goods. My recipes get scrapped if they don't pass your filter.

Sean, Alex, Meg, and Ginger for making Giorgio's the place I can count on for a good meal, and a home away from home. Alex especially. The extra effort you put in to make sure I have meals that are safe and elegant is the most gracious gift you could provide for me. And Sean for all of your kind words and help.

Eric for reminding me that I'm chasing a dream and not failing at it either.

To my Twitter pals, Nandita, FoodBank4NYC, TheUnknownChef, GFTiff, and Estheribrown. You guys share recipes for inspiration, information, encouragement, and enthusiasm. And, Nandita excepting, I've never met you in person. It's easy to be gracious and supportive of people you know well, but it's much harder to do the same for a stranger. Thanks for that.

You are just a handful of people that have made me feel less like I'm chasing a crazy idea and more like I'm doing something incredible. You're the people that have made New York feel more like home and less like a crazy idea. There have been so many others that it would take days and days to express my appreciation.

I may not be in culinary school yet, and I may not have a job. But somehow I feel like the luckiest, most successful girl alove because of you.

Orange Cookies

Since I missed last week, I wanted to make an NYC Goes Orange recipe. Delish had one for orange wafers to serve with fruit salads and such. The idea was to have a fortune cookie style wafer. So I tried the recipe.

I'm not sure why, but these cookies did not turn out the way I wanted them to. It seems there's too much butter and not enough flour for them to stand up to the oven. I'll post the recipe for you to try at home, but I plan on altering it a bit until I get the right texture. The flavor was delightful though, so at least that turned out well.

Original Recipe featured on Delish.com
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp orange juice (half an orange)
2 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Combine the ingredients in a bowl until smooth. On a lightly greased cookie sheet, drop batter into 2 1/2 inch rounds. Make sure cookies are about 4 inches apart on sheet. Bake until edges brown, 16-18 minutes. Halfway through, rotate the cookie sheet and move to a lower rack.

I'm thinking of cutting the butter down even further and increasing the flour a little bit so the cookies hold together. I might also reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees. I'll keep everyone updated on the changes I make, but for now, enjoy the cookies. Maybe you'll have more luck than I did. And please remember to support hunger action. Go Orange, even if you're not in New York City. Maybe one day we can have USA Goes Orange for hunger.

Savory Orange Sauce

I've posted this recipe before, but I made some changes to it since the first trial. So here for NYC GOES Orange, I give you Savory Orange Sauce:

1 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp mustard (I prefer whole grain mustard for the texture, but Dijon also works)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 medium onion
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl whisk together juice, cornstarch, mustard and herbs. Caramelize the onions in a hot skillet. Transfer juice mixture to skillet. Bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens up. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It's best to do this after searing your meat in the pan so the sauce picks up the flavors.
For this sauce, my favorite way of serving it is over cubes of chicken in gluten free pasta or rice, but it works nicely over pork too. I even tried it in a pasta salad with mushrooms. Use fresh squeezed juice if you can since the cartoon juice contains extra sugar and can overpower the other flavors. Enjoy. Don't forget to Go Orange for hunger.

Orange Cake

It's that time again. NYC Goes Orange Recipe of the Week. This week's recipe is orange cake. It was supposed to come out like birthday cake, but I think it's more like a pound cake. Still very delicious.

Recipe:
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (Pamela's baking mix for me as per the usual)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (one stick, unsalted, softened)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs (room temperature, separated)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 whole milk + 1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp orange zest
the juice of half an orange

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8" round cake pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light in color. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla. Slowly add the flour until the mixture resembles wet sand. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Add milk to flour mixture along with orange juice and zest. Fold in egg whites gently. Pour mixture into greased pan and bake until tooth pick comes out clean (30-35 minutes). Allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a plate.

I didn't ice this one. Just dolloped a little raspberry preserve on a plate and ate it with that, but feel free to ice with butter cream or chocolate ganache. Your choice. Enjoy and remember to Go Orange.

Orange and Apricot Biscotti

As promised, a weekly recipe to support NYC Goes Orange and Food Bank for NYC. This week is Orange and Apricot Biscotti.

The recipe:

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 extra large egg and 1 egg white

1 3/4 cup GF flour (I prefer Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix, but use what you have on hand)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dried diced apricots

Cream together the sugar and butter. Add the extract, juice, cinnamon, and eggs. Fold in the flour. Turn out dough onto floured plastic wrap. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Form dough into large log, leaving two inches from sides of baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, lower heat to 300 degrees F. When the roll is cooled, cut into slices and lay on their sides on the pan. Replace in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes more.

A few things to note:

When I made this dough, it was incredibly sticky. If yours comes out this way, flour it and your counter heavily. I probably used an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of flour just for that. Mine came out dark because I was using a new oven for the first time and a new recipe, so I haven't quite figured out the nuances yet. Keep in mind that oven temperatures vary, so the baking time might be more or less when you try it. Finally, if you prefer, you can use any flavor extract, dried fruit, or nuts you like for this recipe. Have fun and enjoy. And remember to show your support for hunger action by going orange now through December.

Seeing Orange

Food Bank for NYC is gearing up for the annual NYC Goes Orange to raise awareness for hunger in the city. To coincide with this, Feeding America is leading September's Hunger Action Month. In the spirit of both, this blog will be going orange all month. In addition, I'll be posting orange themed recipes through December to show my support for NYC Goes Orange. If you'd like to get more involved yourself, check out www.foodbanknyc.com or http://hungeractionmonth.org. You can also send me recipes you'd like to see posted. Please help these organizations in their efforts to end hunger in America. Donate your money or your time. And please spread the word.

Thanks!