Ever since I started writing about vanilla, I’ve been asking this question: How can vanilla be used in a savory dish? After all, countless blog recipes feature vanilla as a mainstay in cookies, cakes and other sweet delights. Few, if any, coax vanilla into serving as a flavor foundation for main courses.

Enter Sarah Tomsic and Jan Findlater, proprietors and chefs of the Fly By Diner, an innovative commercial kitchen come gourmet order-and-carry eatery that is parked every Thursday at the entrance to the employee parking lot of New Belgium Brewing Company. I figured, if anyone could take vanilla and do something savory with it, it would be Sarah and Jan!

This dynamic duo met five years ago through Whole Foods Market where Sarah, a former chef at Beauregard’s in Wellington, taught cooking classes that Jan coordinated. Their mutual affection for healthy, flavorful and inspired cooking eventually led them to entertain a partnership resulting in the Fly By Diner, which opened for business in September 2009.

The Fly By Diner represents everything I aim for in my own cooking. Each week, Sarah and Jan create a thematic menu inspired by the season’s freshest ingredients (sourced locally when possible), whole grains, the weather (if it’s going to be freezing out – warm food choices may rule the day), even holidays. Think on this. Most restaurants create a menu that you might eventually learn by heart – because it never changes. Sarah and Jan create a new menu, usually three to four main dishes offered in small and regular portions, plus a baked goodie or other dessert creation, every week.

What spurs such change?  “We look at each menu as a balance between vegetarian and non vegetarian options,” Jan – the vegetarian of the duo – explains. “We’ve also been recently looking at menu options for people with dietary restrictions. The vast majority of what we make is from scratch down to our pestos, chutneys, and spreads. Love for great food – and international flavors – is a daily inspiration for us.” Vanilla is no exception.

When I asked her if she could incorporate vanilla into a savory dish, Sarah didn’t bat an eye. “No problem,” she said. “This will be fun.” When I opened Sarah’s email the following week (she sends each week’s menu to Fly By Diner fans), I wasn’t prepared for the level of creativity that my savory vanilla challenge had birthed.

In just a few days I was going to have the pleasure of tasting Chiles en Nogada (which includes real vanilla bean seed) with Walnut Cream Sauce (which includes real vanilla extract). Oh, and just to give a confident nod to the traditional use of vanilla as a baking ingredient, Sarah and Jan decided to offer triple vanilla cupcakes for dessert snacking. Dazzled yet? I was.

As it turns out, Sarah knows her vanilla. “Vanilla is versatile – it can be tropical or seductive or rich,” she told me later that week as I shoveled her triumphant Chiles en Nogada into my toothy, greedy funnel of chewing. “It adds a dimension of depth and completion to a dish – whether savory or sweet. Try making chocolate chip cookies without vanilla. They still taste good, but you know something is missing. I think consumers tend to take vanilla for granted. It comes in a little bottle and you put a teaspoon in baked goods. But, it can be so much more. A dash of properly made vanilla in a savory meat dish creates a surprising effect.”

Surprised I was. And just so very pleased. Or maybe drugged. While Sarah prepared me a plate of the Chiles en Nogada, I took a healthy bite of the triple vanilla cupcake she placed in my hands for safekeeping, presumably, until the end of my meal. Duh! Dessert first! The butter cream frosting, flavored with vanilla and sprinkled with vanilla infused sugar, had a thickness and appeal to it that when eaten with the cakey portion of the affair made this girl forget that there was any other reason to be standing outside a brewery parking lot on a Thursday afternoon with a daunting to-do list burning a hole in her pocket other than enjoying a triple vanilla cupcake.

Oh, and the Chiles en Nogada? One look at the recipe (see below) and you’ll see why I make it a goal to enjoy culinary treats from the Fly By Diner as often as possible. The combination of the walnut cream sauce with peaches, pears, pork, poblano peppers, cinnamon and vanilla was like licking the inside of Christmas, Easter and autumn treats all at once.

You can find the Fly By Diner at (insert address here) on Thursdays from 11 am to 2 pm. The Diner hopes to travel to other locations in Fort Collins this upcoming summer. Check their website for weekly menus and upcoming events.

Chiles en Nogada with Walnut Cream Sauce

6 pablano chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 lb. ground pork
2 T. oil
2 peaches (we used frozen peaches from Ela Farm)
2 pears (frozen from Ela Farm)
1 onion, diced
2 cl. garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 t. cinnamon
1 vanilla bean, split open and scraped
1 t. salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. raisins (optional)
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

Roast, peel and seed pablano chiles and set aside.  Saute the pork, peaches, pears, onion, garlic and tomatoes in a skillet until pork is cooked through and vegetables are soft.  Add the cinnamon and vanilla bean, salt and pepper.  Cool this mixture and add the almonds and raisins.  Stuff each pablano with a handful of filling and fold the chile back together.  Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment, cover with foil and place in a 350 degree oven until chiles are hot.  Drizzle with nogada sauce and top with pomegranate seeds and parsley.

Walnut cream sauce

1/2 c. toasted walnuts
4 oz. Haystack Mountain Chevre
3/4 c. milk
1 t. Rodelle vanilla
pinch salt

Put ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Place in a saucepan and heat gently before drizzling over chiles.

Until the next,

Carol

I’ve made no great claims to fame or outlandish statements of impressive culinary dexterity in this blog.  In fact, I’m pretty open about the fact that although I love to bake (and I have some skill in this area), I am not a professional chef and often find myself in over my head in my own kitchen.  It must be confessed though, that even though I am no Rachael Ray or Cat Cora, I do have a pronounced similarity to Julia Child.  Yes, it’s true!  The Great Julia and I have at least one major trait in common: we both hate waste.

Now, I know Julia and I are not alone in our abhorrence of waste!  All you other food-savers out there must be coming up against the same situation that I always do at this time of year: what’s to be done with all the leftovers?

The holidays are famous for gigantic feasts and (shamefully) for avoidable food waste.  Although every household has their own customary food dishes they serve annually, I’ve taken some of the most commonly eaten foods and found these great recipes for your leftovers!

Potatoes

It’s probably the Irish in me, but I believe in potatoes and I think they’re best when mashed!  But this starchy vegetable is so filling that there’s always some left at the end of the meal.  So, this year I’ll try to convince my mother-in-law that we should take the remaining spuds and form them into these potato croquettes or these mashed potato cakes!  It gives the mashed potatoes a little more texture and livens up what can become a bland leftover dish.  Or, maybe I’ll go the other way and cream them into this potato soup.  My mother used to make an amazing potato soup and I hope one day she’ll impart the recipe to me <<hint hint>>, but I’ve used this recipe before and it is delicious!  Another good thing about potatoes is that they’re safe for those on a gluten-free diet!  The potato soup is definitely a win, and using a gluten-free substitute for the small amounts of flour in the other two recipes is an easy swap (try garbanzo or chick pea flour for anything requiring 2 cups of flour or less in a regular recipe for a gluten free alternative!)

Turkey Dishes

Although turkey is more traditionally Thanksgiving rather than Christmas, I know some people eat this bird on both occasions!  Even though I’ve been a vegetarian for years, I still remember a homemade turkey-noodle soup that would appear in our refrigerator around the holidays.  Well, if you’re someone who makes soup out of your leftover bird, you may want to try adding these mashed potato dumplings to the pot and kill two birds with one stone (pun intended)!  Or you can use even more of the meal in a turkey and mashed potato shepherd’s pie!  I would think you’d easily be able to add any leftover green bean casserole (although, my favorite simple recipe is so delicious, why would you have any left over?).  Or, for a bite of the holidays in a sandwich, here is a turkey/stuffing/cranberry panini recipe.

Ham

The other meat most often consumed around this time of year is ham.  Even leftover ham can be made over and given more appeal!  What about a ham and cheese bake?  I have a feeling that this pizza would be a favorite of Dr. Seuss!  Or combine the two traditional tastes of ham and meatloaf into a hamloaf.  There is also the simple solution of this cold ham salad sandwich!

Bread

There’s always leftover bread!  This carbohydrate appears at most meals around this time whether in the form of rolls, French baguettes or just plain old loaf bread.  Lighten it up!  Make homemade croutons to toss into a big salad.  The perfect way to use leftovers without making another heavy dish.  This last one is definitely my favorite: use leftover bread to make a Vanilla Bean Pudding.  Delicious!  If you happen to have leftover Challah bread, even better!  Here’s a great recipe for a Challah bread pudding.

With all of these great recipes available, there’s no reason why you can’t find a way to use those leftovers crowding your fridge. By using a little creativity, you can save yourself time, money and calories!

What are some of your favorite leftover recipes?

Thanks to Dr. Hemmert, Vicki’s Nature and ulterior epicure for the pictures!

~Laura

Riding through my friend’s neighborhood after a night mountain bike outing the other week, I passed a house that boasted a remarkably diverse array of holiday lights. Illuminated across the front lawn was flamingo, inflatable Snoopy Santa, reindeer collection and nativity scene. Seriously? I thought to myself. Is this legal to have the sacred and profane commingling on Kentucky blue grass?

At first I was put off. I mean, pick one or the other, would ya? Out of respect for Jesus, get rid of the lawn Santa! But the more I’ve been reading about winter solstice, the more I realize these two symbolize the same thing in different ways: the return of light to our darkened days.

For centuries, the rituals and traditions of pre-Christian cultures were intimately tied to celestial, seasonal passages marked by the summer and winter solstice and the spring and fall equinox. Astronomically, we have winter because of that remarkable 23.5 degree tilt in the Earth’s axis. Winter begins when the earth is furtherest away from the sun and days become long again.

In the northern hemisphere, winter solstice is among the most celebrated of all seasonal passages. The hardest of times, winter in days of yore meant meager living, possible food rations, starvation, and deep, bitter cold. Surviving those fierce days called for sacrifice and celebration. With solstice came the promise of renewal.

I am heartened by this promise and am grateful for the many, many ways ours and other cultures celebrate this season of light. The most well-known religious and secular observations in North America, from Chanukah to Kwanzaa to Christmas to Solstice, involve illumination. Candles marking days, counting down, guiding the path, restoring faith and burning bright – the flame of hope draws us near and we count our blessings and reward our spirits by sharing in the joy of another season of life.

So how did you celebrate the return of light? This year, winter solstice occured on December 22. I’m contemplated making my own candles. Ever done this? Then, I thought I’d head to the kitchen to make something I’ve never contemplated until this year: a chocolate Yule Log or Buche de Noel like this one or perhaps this one, which has twice as much vanilla, so already I’m hooked. Learn more about the history of this holiday ember here.

As we look to the New Year, I’d love a recommendation on your favorite holiday or winter cocktail. By the way, have you seen the recipe for Rodelle’s Vanilla Ginger Snap? I can see me now curled up next to a fire place with glass in hand. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a special way to help others less fortunate in the world make it through this season of light, check out Chez Pim’s sixth annual Menu For Hope and start giving. The fundraiser ends December 31.

May your season be bright!

Carol

Thanks to Zombizi, ItzaFineDay and Bgreenlee for their enlightening photo contributions.

Ten years ago, I flew to Brussels in mid-December to attend the wedding of a dear friend. It was my first winter visit to Belgium and it was freeze-your-nostrils-shut cold. But it was Belgium and the spirit of the holidays infused the streets of the famed Flemish capital, so I donned my favorite chapeau, buried my nose in my scarf, and took to the holiday market for gluhwein and roasted chestnuts.

The wedding was a nonstop party for three days. Eating was a central theme and I fondly remember feasting on an epic supply of perfectly prepared mussels (cliché I know, but worth it), making traditional Belgium wedding soup (I smelled of chicken for days), and imbibing an endless supply of Rodenbach beer. A decade later, when I think of the holidays, I think of Belgium, deep winter, and food.

Since it’s that time of year, and for once I’m feeling like all I want to do is go to holiday parties, and since I can’t go to Belgium, I thought we could stroll down imagination lane (again) in search of a different kind of fantasy menu. This one I’m dubbing “Holiday Appetizers for the Irreverent Glutton” because I’m drawn this season to tapas-like tasty nibbles that keep your feet nailed to the floor in front of the appetizer table. There’s no central theme to my menu other than keeping to my standards of rewarding taste, fresh ingredients (local and seasonal when possible), and fun. But you know that by now!

In preparation, I’ve been reading many a blog in search of this year’s trends in holiday appetizers. But the blogosphere seems to be atwitter with holiday cookie exchange recipes instead. Not much help for a girl who wants to take a hard look at gluttony (although sugar is one way to go and I love cookies with all my heart). Nevertheless, I persevered, and what you see below are the fruits of my labor! Just so you know, I’m an equal opportunity fantasy hostess, so I’ve included a few items that my gluten-free friends can devour, as well as a treat or two that even a vegan would love. Grab a little party plate – it’s time to eat!

Holiday Appetizers for the Irreverent Glutton
Parmesan Polenta Bites with Roasted Red Pepper Rouille (leave out the bread crumbs and you have a gluten-free tasty)

Dates stuffed with Blue Cheese (or shake things up and mix  vanilla bean seeds with the blue cheese)

Cannoli (heads up – the time involved in preparing this little delight requires that you have a house elf who can attend to the rest of your life)

Mejillones Rellenadas (thank you Spain for creating tapas!)

Double Chocolate and Chili Cookies or these Mexican Chocolate Crackle Cookies or maybe both — this is about gluttony after all!

Tapenade and homemade crackers

Homemade Fruity Gumdrops

Cream Cheese Cranberry Tartlets (created by our very own Rodelle chef – yum!)

Later in the month, I’ll be attending what is sure to be a “remarkably bad holiday outfit” themed party at the home of last month’s Rogue Rice hostess. I think I’ll take tapenade and crackers because the preparation time is nearly nil and it’s always a crowd pleaser (do you have a few go-to appetizers that are always big hits and easy to make? Do tell!). No doubt, in short order, my inbox will be overwhelmed with amazing appetizer suggestions for the holidays, but why don’t you get a jump start on the pros and let me know what you’ll be putting out on the party table this holiday season? Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Eat well, often, and inspired ~

Carol

Thanks to Davesandford, Flowery L*u*z*a*, jekinthebox, and Joaaso for their fun holiday pics.

Patience Crackstone and her husband Nathan toiled four days and nights to prepare their Thanksgiving offering, an earthy, roasted arrangement of carrots, squash and leeks that marinated hours in a ginger bath of water and stock before browning in a heavy skillet to bring out the sugars. They sat at the table in their Sunday best, exhausted, yet hopeful. There was much to celebrate.

The Crackstones joined in the First Thanksgiving to share the balance of their harvest and make friends with outsiders. Patience was smart enough to bring along a bottle of Tuaca, to smooth over the exhaustion and bring merriment to others. She blended it with cider and ginger ale, added whole cranberries and kumquats for colorful effect, and heated the brew over a bunsen burner. She enjoyed the hard cider with heavy whipping cream.

As did I, a small, dried blueberry who arrived late with appetizers in tow. It was my first, First Thanksgiving and I wanted to do it right. A blueberry with divergent tastes and a penchant for the nontraditional – hence the blueberry wig and not the pilgrim get-up – I knew my offering would have to satisfy palettes and tummies in a down home comfy way, yet also surprise and delight same palettes and tummies. I found this stuffed mushroom inspiration from one of my favorite blogs and tried out my fantasy sweet potato appetizer recommendation from last week. The Fantasy lives!!

Welcome to the joy of Rogue Rice, a supper club by way of quirky irreverence. My friends Katie and Lera spawned the idea last year – theme-based dinners that feature random concepts (for instance, All Things Pirate), yummy and reasonable food (you can’t spend more than $20 to prepare your offering), and of course, costumes. First Thanksgiving was a must and our team of foodies took to it with great gusto.

Sitting around the table, our collection of Crackstones, Native American goddesses (Skwantina Crackstone – she married Solomon Crackstone), Wishbones and Blueberries shared a meal of fantastic flavor.

Here’s what was on the Rogue Rice First Thanksgiving Menu (a little different to Patience’s all those years ago!):

Roasted Pork Loin
Scalloped Potatoes with Leeks and Nutmeg
Fall Salad with Persimmons, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Tangerine Vinaigrette
Ginger Infused Roasted Carrots, Squash and Leeks
Roasted Asparagus
Buttermilk biscuits
Pumpkin Cheesecake

I think we impressed ourselves. I know I was impressed, especially since our gluten-free Pilgrim Patience fared fantastically well – without us even trying. The only things she said ‘no’ to were the biscuits and the crust from the pumpkin cheesecake. Well done!

Over the evening, our Pilgrim talk – you know, how to survive another winter and where to source down for blankets and slippers – evolved into planning the next Rogue Rice event, which I’m thrilled to say will occur at my humble abode in late January (yes, I’ll have my furniture at last!). I’m keeping that theme under wraps for now. Unless, of course, you guess it, or better yet, share some ideas for future events. The more outlandish the better!!

Looking forward to hearing and sharing your Thanksgiving tales!

Carol

Happy Holidays! Rodelle Vanilla will be giving away an ECO-FRIENDLY HOLIDAY BAKING GIFT SET to our Facebook fan who submits the best holiday drink recipe and gets the most support from their friends.

THE GIFT SET WILL INCLUDE

• Rodelle Vanilla Beans
• Rodelle Vanilla Sugar
• Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa
• Rodelle Gourmet Vanilla Extract – 8 oz.
• Rodelle Organic Vanilla Extract – 4 oz.
• Rodelle Vanilla Extract Gift Set – flavors from around the world
• Eco-Pie Plate – Pure by Chantal
• Bamboo measuring spoons
• Oversized copper snowflake cookie cutter

** Valued at over $80! **

RUNNER-UP GIFT: Rodelle Vanilla Beans & Gourmet Baking Cocoa

Contest dates: 11.13.09 – 11.30.09

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS

1. Create your own recipe for a tasty holiday drink using one or more of the following: vanilla, vanilla beans, or cocoa.  Your drink recipe can be for a warm drink on a cold day, an adult cocktail or a kid’s holiday drink.

2. Post the recipe on Rodelle Vanilla’s Facebook fan page wall. Feel free to include a personal story or upload a picture or video of you enjoying or creating your drink.

3. Get your friends and family to support your recipe by ‘liking’ your recipe or making a comment on your recipe about why you should win.  How do you do this? “Share” the Rodelle fan page with your friends and ask them to vote for you. Remind them that they’ll have to become a Rodelle fan in order to vote. And, offer to bake them something tasty once you win!

Click here to get started!

THE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RODELLE VANILLA & BASED ON:

1. The amount of support from your friends and family, so spread the word!

2 .The quality of the recipe so spread the word!

3. Creativity of the post
The Rodelle fan with the second-best recipe and friend support will receive the Runner-up Gift

This is a fantastic gift set for the environmentally-friendly baker from Rodelle Vanilla. Rodelle’s facility is wind powered and portion of their profits go to promote biodiversity and improve farmer livelihood in vanilla growing regions. For this gift set, Rodelle choose environmentally friendly baking supplies such as bamboo measuring spoons and eco-friendly pottery (free of coloring agents that reduce environmental impact by up to 50%). If you win, your recipe may be used on the Rodelle website’s Holiday Recipes page!

** Rodelle Vanilla reserves the right to disqualify and/or remove any entries that are not original recipes. We also reserve the right to extend or end the contest at any time.**

Nearly two feet of snow fell here in Colorado over two days last week. Suddenly, our lovely fall turned to winter. Schools closed, traffic halted, and in a strange twist on tradition, I made and consumed Ibarra hot cocoa before heading out to shovel. Something’s amiss.

What I love about a show stopping snowfall is how the world folds in on itself. The very atmosphere seems to breathe a sigh of relief. There’s nowhere to rush. We retreat indoors. We bake gooey cookies. We nap. We play games with family and friends.

Then, without our permission, the cold and snow subside, schools reopen and we’re back to our demanding lives. Even as we consume the mountain of bite-size Halloween Snickers we bought just in case the Trick-or-Treaters came out in record numbers, suddenly the holidays are upon us. Of course then, because we’re wired to emulate Martha Stewart and create the best holiday ever, the rush is on with menus to plan, birds to roast, pies to bake, gifts to buy, parties to attend, and people to please.

In these moments, it’s easy for us to get disconnected from the higher purpose behind the holidays. We tend to focus on what (to buy, bake, give, wear) instead of why (to give back, nourish our souls, deepen relationships, celebrate the seasonal passage from dark into light). This year, as you ride the wave of the holiday rush, consider how to take time out for yourself and to stop and truly enjoy what the spirit of the season means to you. Turn off your TV. Walk outside. Take a deep breath and stare into the starry night. Here are a few other ideas you might try:

1. Make gifts. Vanilla infused vodka, cranberry orange bread, salt scrubs and more. No need to get crazy. Just keep it simple, inspired, and fun.

2. Plant garlic. Harvest is mostly over and the ground is cooling fast. But I love garlic and the idea of planting a taste sensation that will give back to me come summer is just too tempting to refuse. Thank you soil!

3. Take hot baths. Lock the door. Sprinkle essential oils into your bath water. Light a candle. Pour some tea. Sit back. Relax. Do this again and again.

4. Listen to jazz. Fall and winter just seem right for the mellow sounds of John Coltrane.

5. Give back. There are countless ways to put your time, energy and ideas to do good works.

6. Play outside. Tag football with the fam. Participate in a Christmas Bird Count. Ski/hike/bike/walk on Christmas.

7. Start your own tradition (remember Festivus?), or reconnect with ones from long ago. In college, I was bent on celebrating Winter Solstice and the return of light. Let nature inspire you!

What antidotes do you lean on to soothe the holiday crazies? Please share your ideas and remember to enjoy this magical time of year.

As always, thanks for the photos: Sean Dreilinger, gobucks2. The snowy patio furniture is mine!

Until the next,

Carol