You Can Take the Girl Out of Jersey...

The view from our condo.

In July 2019, after a long-time desire to live in a warm climate,  escape the harsh northeast winters, and to experience life in someplace other than New Jersey (where I had lived my entire life), we moved to Puerto Rico. What could be bad, right? It’s part of the United States (yes, folks, it is a US territory, not a foreign country - you wouldn’t believe how many people do not know that), warm weather all year round, beautiful ocean views, laid back island vibes, a large “ex-pat” community, an English-speaking island (sort of), US financial system, US healthcare insurance accepted, US Postal Service, etc. 

Friends and family were simultaneously sad at our departure, and envious of our forthcoming life in paradise. Well, paradise is not always what it seems.

As an aside, in case you are not aware, Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898 after centuries of Spanish rule. It is roughly 3,500 square miles, situated in the Greater Antilles chain, and has a population of approximately three million people.

The Puerto Rican people are very proud of their heritage and extremely protective of their culture. Many of the natives have absolutely zero interest in becoming a US state, fearing the loss of their culture. They cite Hawaii as an example (they are not totally wrong).

Back to my story.

Yes, it is a beautiful island, with incredible views around every corner. The Atlantic and Caribbean oceans that encircle the island are a gorgeous crystal clear blue-green hue. But with its location in the West Indies, comes the threat of hurricanes every year from June - November. The island has still not recovered from the devastating twin hits of Maria and Irma in 2017. As a result of those hurricanes (resulting in shortages of food, water, and fuel), the agriculture industry was almost entirely wiped out. Farms were destroyed. Fishermen whose families fished those waters for generations left the island. Healthcare professionals left for work on the mainland. On an already poor island, thousands of people slid into poverty (the poverty level on the island is 40%). 

Local wildlife

Many houses and buildings damaged during the 2017 hurricanes have still not been repaired (the ubiquitous blue tarps on many rooftops), crumbling structures line the streets and highways. I found this very depressing.

Prior to the hurricanes, the electric grid in Puerto Rico was fragile, due to the corruption of the government-run agency. Afterwards, it was almost non-existent. Our power went out almost weekly, sometimes for just an hour, sometimes for a whole day. During the earthquake in early 2020, we had no power for a week (we considered ourselves lucky compared to some other parts of the island).

Due to a lack of farm-fresh foods, food prices on the island are sky-high. This is also due in part to the antiquated Jones Act of 1917 which stipulates that anything being shipped to the island must first go to the US mainland. On top of this, the few farmers that are still on the island ship their first-rate products off the island to get top dollar, so the locals are left with mediocre produce (farmer’s markets were not at all like what we had experienced in the states).

 Puerto Rican Green Parrot

So not only does everything take longer to get there, now it costs more. And, if like me, you are used to being able to get almost anything you want at supermarkets, and products of a high quality, this was shocking and extremely disappointing. And don’t get me started on my never-ending, island-wide search for really good bread, pastries, and bagels (spoiler: they don’t exist there)!

For someone like me, who is very food-oriented, the lack of really good restaurants in Puerto Rico was surprising. Not to say there are none, but they are few and far between. Fried everything is the major food group. Ethnic restaurants (Thai, Indian, good Asian, etc) are practically non-existent. Good wine stores? I had to drive thirty minutes to get to one. 

I know these issues sound like first world problems, and these things are not important to many people who move to Puerto Rico, but they were to me.

Technically, the island’s official languages are Spanish and English, but only about 20% of the island’s population speak English. My two years of high school Spanish were woefully inadequate. Dealing with electricians, plumbers, etc., were near impossible - thank heavens for Google translate. Not to mention trying to speak with doctors. It was draining trying to communicate. 

Let’s talk about driving in Puerto Rico. I can sum it up this way: it’s like the wild west. Very quickly, you learn to drive defensively for two reasons. One, the roads are a mess, and two, drivers are not very good. One person told us that drivers are bad because there is really no driver education required (that explains alot). 

What we didn’t fully grasp before moving was that we would be the interlopers, viewed as outsiders, coming to dilute the culture. There is an “expat” community, people from the states who have relocated either full or part-time to the island, but we found not much in common with alot of these folks. 

To be fair, our timing was off. About six months after moving, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. So all the amenities at the gated golf/beach resort where we lived were closed, and the complex practically deserted. Another thing we didn’t know before purchasing this apartment was that this was primarily a weekend/vacation second home community (only about 20% of the residents live here full-time). We were hoping for a more active life socializing with other residents, but that was not in the cards.

I discovered that living on an island was not for me. I felt trapped. Yes, I could get in the car and circumvent the island (you could drive the entire island in about three hours), but having to fly to see friends or family was expensive and complicated. 

In April, 2020, I accidentally stepped on a fire ant mound and got a terrible reaction. Luckily, I had access to tele-health with a dermatologist who was able to prescribe meds.

The final blow was in August, 2020 when during my regular daily walk, I slipped in a mud puddle and fractured my wrist. Surgery was required almost immediately and a plate and seven screws are now a permanent part of my anatomy. I may never be able to play tennis again (not that I played before!). Even though our health insurance was accepted widely on the island, the hospital did not accept it, and we had to pay everything up front (the ER, the surgeon, the surgical suite, the hardware inserted in my wrist, the anesthesiologist, the GP who had to clear me for surgery, etc). None of the hospital forms were in English.

I had a sneaking suspicion Puerto Rico was trying to tell me something…go home!

After much soul searching, I moved back to New Jersey in February, 2021. Four snowstorms threw me a welcome home party. To be honest, I am not happy about the circumstances that brought me back, but I am happy to be back. Back to good supermarkets, incredible restaurants, great farmer’s markets, access to music and theatre, and the ability to get in the car and drive to get-togethers with family and friends. 

Jersey peaches!

My advice to anyone thinking of relocating to an island paradise, rent for at least a year before buying. We threw caution to the wind and took a leap of faith, thinking that if it didn’t work out, we could always leave. Easier said than done.

True, New Jersey is not perfect, but it’s pretty damn good. You can take the girl out of Jersey, but you can’t take Jersey out of the girl. 

Author's note: this is a more in-depth version of an article first published in the Healthcare Marketer's Exchange.

Homemade Challah

Greetings from the snowy, windy, freezing Jersey shore! This is not where I expected to find myself at this time of year, but it is what it is (as “they” say). 

During the previous snowstorm a couple of weeks ago, I retrieved a container of homemade split pea soup from the freezer to enjoy over the next couple of days. It was a beautiful, thick, stick-to-your-ribs soup, flavored with a ham bone generously provided by my cousin at Christmas. But as I started to defrost it, I realized it needed something. Not anything added to the soup itself, but an accompaniment. And what goes better with a steaming bowl of hearty soup than fresh bread. Not wanting to go out during the storm, I realized I had all the ingredients for homemade bread right here. I never attempted challah before, but I thought, “what the heck, I’ll try it!” I’m so glad I did. Not only did it come out great, but it was SO easy! 

yeasty, bubbly goodness

Using a recipe from thekitchn.com I spent a glorious few hours kneading, rolling, and rising the dough, while the wonderful yeasty fragrance perfumed my kitchen. I held my breath after it baked and sliced off the end to sample it. It was damn good! Eating it later with the pea soup was pure bliss. The next day (and the day after that), I ate the bread slathered with salted butter for breakfast. The bread sat on my counter for almost a week as I nibbled a slice here and there every day (it keeps well wrapped in plastic wrap).

Don’t let anyone tell you baking homemade bread is hard. It’s not. It does require time and patience. The end result is totally worth it.

If you are in the path of winter storm “Kenan,” I hope you are warm and safe. Stay in, listen to music, read a good book, make soup, bake bread.

Thought you'd enjoy this picture from Twitter of these adorable "snow cats!"

Until next time, eat well, stay warm, be happy.

Italian Chicken Meatballs with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Orzo

I’ve never been very good at cooking without a recipe. Other people can take whatever ingredients they have in-house and whip up a fabulous meal - no recipe needed. Not me, I need to follow a recipe, step-by-step.

But I just cooked a fabulous dish using no recipe (nod to Sam Sifton’s “no recipe recipes”) and I want to share it with you.

Last week I bought a package of AmyLu Italian-style Chicken Meatballs at Costco (OK, they’re not my family’s traditional meatballs, but they’re really pretty good!) and wanted to do something with them besides just plopping them into tomato sauce and serving over pasta. As an aside, these meatballs are Paleo-friendly, if you’re following that; they have16 grams of protein, are low in fat, calories, carbs, gluten-free, have no added sugars, and the chickens are raised antibiotic-free (I’ve included the nutrition panel for your reading pleasure). 

Looking in the fridge, I came up with fresh spinach and baby Bella mushrooms; in the cupboard I had a small package of orzo, and I always have garlic, EVOO, Parmigiano cheese, and fresh basil on hand. 

It was so good I made it two days in a row, not just because it was delicious and easy, but, of course, I wanted to test it before posting. I can report now that if you are looking for a terrific dish to serve to your family, one that you can get on the table in less than 45 minutes, this is it. If you’d like to serve wine with it, I recommend a Sicilian white: Anthilia from the wonderful Donna Fugata vineyard, or a Grillo, both are excellent. 

Mangia bene!

Italian Chicken Meatballs with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Orzo

Author - Terry Krongold

Recipe serves 2 but can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

4 TB extra virgin olive oil, halved 

4 cloves garlic, sliced

Kosher salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh spinach (amount left up to you, but IMHO, the more the better!)

Red pepper flakes, optional, to taste

1 C orzo pasta 

6-8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

12 chicken meatballs (pre-cooked), cut in half*

5-6 leaves fresh basil, torn

Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 TB olive oil. Add half of the sliced garlic and sauté until just starting to become aromatic 

(I like to add a few grains of Kosher salt over the garlic as it cooks). 

2. Bring a pot of water to boil for the orzo.

3. To the sauté pan, add the spinach, season to taste with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook until just starting to wilt, then remove from pan.

4. Add orzo to the boiling water, cook approximately 7-8 minutes (or according to package directions).

5. Add remaining 2 TB oil and garlic to the sauté pan; add mushrooms, salt and pepper,  and cook about 5 minutes until starting to soften.

6. When orzo is cooked, drain and set aside.

7. Add the meatballs to sauté pan, heat thru about 5 minutes.

8. Add orzo and spinach back to pan; toss all pan ingredients together and heat briefly, about 2 minutes.

9. Add handful of grated cheese and the torn basil. Toss everything together.

10. Plate and add a bit more grated cheese (to taste).

*feel free to use homemade pre-cooked meatballs - here is a great recipe from eatingwell.com for them!

German Apple Cake

Happy New Year, friends!

I hope you are well.

Please read on for our first post of 2022:

For a friend’s German-themed dinner, I made this gorgeous apple cake. Rising high in a tube pan, it is the essence of a wonderful fall/winter cake — redolent with cinnamon, vanilla, and apples. It evokes visions of groaning tables laden for hearty meals of rich sauerbraten, sautéed red cabbage and onions, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli, and freshly baked dinner rolls. In fact, this is the exact meal we had recently. Accompanying the meal was a terrific semi-dry Riesling. Serving a white wine with a hearty beef dish might not be what comes to mind at first, but the slight sweetness of the Riesling perfectly offset the vinegar used in the sauerbraten. 

Not planning a German dinner anytime soon? Don’t let that stop you from making this cake. It is delicious with a cup of tea on a chilly winter afternoon, or with your morning coffee. Bake on!

German Apple Cake (adapted from tasteofhome.com)

Ingredients:

3 C AP flour

3 t baking powder

1 t salt

4 large eggs, room temp

2 C sugar

1 C canola oil

1/2 C orange juice

2-1/2 t vanilla extract

4 C thinly sliced peeled apples (about 4-5 apples)

2 t ground cinnamon

3 TB sugar

confectioners’ sugar, optional (for sprinkling before serving)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10” tube pan. Combine first 3 ingredients and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Combine oil and orange juice and add alternately with dry ingredients to egg mixture. Beat until smooth; add vanilla and beat well.
3. Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Arrange half of the apples over the batter. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the apples. Top with remaining batter, apples, and cinnamon mixture (I messed up slightly here & sprinkled the last measure of cinnamon-sugar BEFORE adding the remaining apples; but I kind of like how it turned out, giving the apples on top a bit of a crunchy texture and looking like potato chips!).
4. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.* Cool 1 hour before removing from pan. Cool, apple side up, on a wire rack. If desired (I recommend), sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.




• Note: test doneness at the recommended 1 hour and 10 minutes. My cake took an additional 15 minutes.




Eat well, stay warm, be happy!

Chocolate Cream Cups

These little treats were staples of a dessert catering business I ran with a friend in the 80s. The star of the business was a cheesecake recipe handed down from my mom, but we expanded to include baked goods culled from our own families, or from published baking books. These mini-cupcakes (also a recipe from my mother) were one of our most requested items, and mega-popular with friends and family. 

I haven’t made these in quite a few years, but having just gone through (and still going through) a life changing event, I felt the need to bake something that takes me back to my roots. So for me these are special. But for you, these will just be a delicious, scrumptious, little treat that you can add to your own family’s recipe box.

They are super easy to make, but they do require mini-cupcake pans and papers so plan ahead. The recipe makes about four dozen, but doubles easily. When I made them this week, I doubled it to have enough for gifts, and they freeze perfectly (actually, they are fabulous eaten straight from the freezer - try it!).

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year!

Stay warm, eat well, be happy.

Terry

Chocolate Cream Cups

Cream Cheese Mixture:

1 8oz package cream cheese (softened)

1 egg

1/3 C sugar

1/8 t salt

6 oz package chocolate chips

Whip first four ingredients together until creamy, then stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Chocolate Mixture:

1-1/2 C AP flour

1 C sugar

1 C water

1/3 C neutral vegetable oil

1 TB apple cider vinegar

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/4 C Hershey's cocoa

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°

Beat all chocolate mixture ingredients until smooth. 

Place mini-cupcake papers in tins. Fill each tin with chocolate mixture approximately 1/3 full. Then add about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture on top.

Bake 15 minutes. Remove pan to rack to cool completely before removing individual cupcakes.

Store in refrigerator or freeze.

Last-minute Thanksgiving Dishes!

 

Cranberry Chutney getting ready to simmer!

Chances are you have your Thanksgiving menu all planned and shopped, but in case you’re still casting about looking for a terrific side dish, I highly recommend David Lebovitz’s cranberry chutney. It is, hands down, the best cranberry side dish I’ve ever had. I’ve made it several times now and it never disappoints. The combination of the tart cranberries with some sweet dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, candied ginger), crisp apple, and fall spices, is a definite winner. And just wait until you add it to a turkey sandwich the next day!

Chutney ready to plate

And to add to your dessert table ('cause, you know my motto: you can never have too many desserts!), you may want to think about these little babies. No baking involved; just toss the ingredients into a food processor, then roll the 1” balls in a graham cracker crumb-shredded coconut mixture and set in the fridge for an hour. Yes, it is officially the holiday season where we throw caution to the wind when it comes to eating and drinking (at least I do), but for any friends or family trying to watch their calorie intake, these Cranberry Crumble Bites (from SkinnyMs) clock in at only 162 calories. Also, there’s no white sugar in here - maple syrup and orange juice sweeten the base. 

Cranberry Crumble Bites

Later today I’ll also be making this Maple-Vanilla Pumpkin Loaf from Bake From Scratch so I’ll post about it later this week. It sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving/fall/holiday cake! It can be served with just a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar, or gussied up with some fresh whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Wishing you and yours a safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving!

Eat well, stay warm, be happy.

Italian Night!

I finally made the famous Marcella Hazan tomato sauce with onion and butter that has been written up by every food writer and blogger from NYC to Milano. Wow. What the heck was I waiting for? This couldn’t have been easier or more delicious. With only three ingredients (four, if you count the salt), and only three steps, within an hour you will have a bright, clean, delicious tomato sauce perfect for a host of dishes.

The three (four) ingredients:

Fresh, ripe tomatoes or 1 can (28 oz) imported Italian tomatoes

5 TB butter

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half

Salt to taste

Full recipe below.

You may be thinking, “butter, and an onion just cut in half and thrown in??” Yes. And, whatever you do, do not discard that onion post-cooking. It is the sweetest, most delicious onion you’ll ever eat! A couple of commenters on Food52 suggested using a stick blender and whirling it back into the sauce. Another suggested just eating the onion outright (I did this, it was fabulous). No wrong answers.

simmering

The day I made the sauce, I ladled it over a twirl of linguini, added a few torn basil leaves, and showered it with freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano (that gorgeous image at the top). Simple perfection!

On day two, I had a “voglia” (Italian slang for a craving - pronounced “wool-lea,” depending on the region) for chicken parm. Don’t ask me why, I just did. I almost never crave red sauce-type Italian-American dishes, but this week I did. I found a pretty low-intensity (read: not a million steps) recipe, used the leftover Marcella sauce, and used Panko instead of breadcrumbs to produce a crispier, crunchier coating. It was terrific. I didn’t go totally old school and serve it over spaghetti, but I did enjoy a crusty Italian bread alongside the parm.

Old school chicken parm

I didn’t have any Italian reds in the house so I used a hearty zin, which worked just fine.

And, finally, to complete Italian night, I made the easiest dessert possible (if you have the means to make espresso): affogato. In Italian, affogato means “drowned.” You literally drown cold ice cream in hot espresso. 

I recently treated myself to a starter espresso machine (made by Capresso and purchased on sale) and I am loving it. Two cappuccinos in the morning and, sometimes, a decaf espresso in the afternoon, and I’m good to go. 

Affogato is a divine little treat. What could be better than ice cold ice cream (in my case, coffee), drowned in dark, delicious espresso? My go-to ice cream of late is Enlightened’s cold brew coffee. At only 90 calories for 2/3 cup, it is all indulgence and zero guilt. I honestly don’t know how they make such a rich, creamy ice cream that clocks in at that caloric rate. But, whatever, I’m on board. The picture of my affogato was sub-par so I’ve included a stock image so you get the gist of what it “should” look like.

Photo by Sarah li from Pexels

Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Serves 6, enough to sauce 1 to 1-1/2 lb pasta

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes for the sauce

2 lb fresh tomatoes, prepared as described below, or 2 C canned imported Italian tomatoes, cut up, with their juice

5 TB butter

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half

Salt to taste

1. Put either the prepared fresh tomatoes or the canned in a saucepan, add the butter, onion, and salt, and cook uncovered at a very slow, but steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking and the fat floats free from the tomato.
2. Stir from time to time, mashing up any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Taste and correct for salt. Before tossing with pasta, you may remove the onion (as Hazan recommended) and save for another use, but many opt to leave it in. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for the table.

Food52 editor’s note: Marcella called for 2 cups of tomatoes when using canned, but feel free to use a whole 28 oz can (closer to 3 cups), if you like. You can scale up the butter and onion, if you like, or don’t - it’s genius either way.

Making Fresh Tomatoes Ready for Sauce

The blanching method: Plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute or less. Drain them and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin them, and cut them into coarse pieces.

The freezing method (from David Tanis, via The Kitchn): Freeze tomatoes on a baking sheet until hard. Thaw again, either on the counter or under running water. Skin them and cut them into coarse pieces.

The food mill method: Wash the tomatoes in cold water, cut them lengthwise in half, and put them in a covered saucepan. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Set a food mill fitted with the disk with the largest holes over a bowl. Transfer the tomatoes with any of their juices to the mill and puree.