Boston Beans and Rice

Dear Turkey,

Being a country girl, I haven't been to Boston since 2005. But if this is how beans and rice rolls there, then lucky them. I adapted this recipe from The Moosewood, and I'm guessing they called it "Boston" because the molasses makes it taste like baked beans, but way more interesting.

I was really excited by this recipe because I am always trying to expand my bean repertoire. These beans don't have anything spicy (although that can be remedied at time of eating by some Garlic Tabasco Sauce), but they do have mustard and tamari. And if that's not salty enough, you can serve them with rice pilaf from a box like I did.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Scones

Dear Turkey,

Surely by now you are wondering why I haven't posted a recipe for chocolate chocolate chip scones before. I was asking myself that very question the other day.

These scones are inspired by those excellent Moosewood ones. However, the chocolate chips make them a bit more moist and cake-y, and the hot oven temperature makes my house smell like a chocolate factory (and, yeah, I have heard that the smell at Hershey Park is fake, but it still smelled amazing when I was 10).

Easter Bread

Dear Turkey,

I read this weird article about Easter Bread. As a Gastronomic Jew, I am aware that Easter Bread is a thing. And, just like Cadbury Eggs, it is a thing that I needed to get into.

This bread is really a quick bread masquerading as a yeast bread. Or is it the other way around? Either way, it's really easy to make, hard to screw up, and can serve as breakfast or dessert. Or breakfast dessert. Which is also a thing. If you're me.

Rice Cooker Cake

Dear Turkey,

I'm always intrigued by those lists online of all the stuff that you can make in a rice cooker. My rice cooker doesn't have any of those fancy buttons or programs or times, but it still knows when whatever I'm cooking is done. Even a cake.

This is basically a wacky cake. It's vegan, and it's delicious. I like how the rice cooker cooked it really slowly and evenly, and I will definitely rock this in the summer when it's too hot to turn on the oven.

Halvah

Dear Turkey,

You just made falafels. You have half a jar of tahini sitting around. And a whole jar of honey that someone gave you from her bees. Time to make halvah.

I have always loved halvah. I used to buy a big block of it at Zabar's and eat the whole thing. I figured it was a magical delicacy that can only be made in a factory (like daifuku mochi, but that's another story). Thanks to the internet, I have been educated. Halvah is really easy to make. You get to use the thermometer, so that's fun, and it sets up in the fridge.

Moosewood Scones

Dear Turkey,

I was scrolling through my myriad posts on scones yesterday, looking for the recipe for the scones from Sundays at Moosewood. The ones I make all the time. The not-too-buttery but just-buttery-enough ones. Well, it wasn't there. So, it's your lucky day.

These scones are also not-too-sweet but just-sweet-enough. Ditto for whole wheat-i-ness. And if that's not doing it for you, you can always smother them with butter or put chocolate chips in the batter.

Baked Falafel

Dear Turkey,

Remember when I made falafel sandwiches? Yeah, that was, like, two days ago. And they were awesome. But I ended up with a ton of falafel batter in my fridge and I got sick of frying it every night.

So I wondered why you couldn't just bake it like a big, Middle Eastern veggie kugel? Turns out, you can. Now, this isn't the oil-soaked, just-fried falafel goodness like in my last post. But it's really good, keeps in the fridge beautifully after it's cooked, and is sliceable and versatile -- perfect for sandwiches, salads, crumbled on top of soup like a tender crouton, and vegan.

Falafel Sandwiches

Dear Turkey,

Remember when I made falafel? Yeah, that was good. I didn't think I could improve upon that, and I'm not really much of a sandwich girl, but this falafel pita sandwich is one of the best sandwiches I've ever made.

I love how the pita gives everything a convenient container without adding way too much bread. It's also just a little sweet, which offsets everything inside nicely. And, if you are feeling lazy, you can always buy falafel mix (it really works!) or frozen falafel.

Nutri Grain Bars

Dear Turkey,

Ah, Nutri Grain Bars: so tasty, so many ingredients I can't pronounce. So I bought the organic ones, but they were almost $1 apiece.

I hunted around on the internet, combined a few recipes, and, voila: delicious, fast, so, so, tasty, and easily made vegan. Many of the recipes that I found required a food processor, so I simplified the dough to skip that step. I was sold, however, on making my own fruit compote instead of using jam; it was easy and totally worth it.

Candied Walnut Bark

Dear Turkey,

Remember those candied pecans? Yeah, those are amazing. What's more amazing is if you stick them on top of a piece of chocolate.

This is a quick homemade dessert that looks fancy. And it's something different if you're sick of the usual baked goods (I personally can't picture this scenario). It also stores and transports easily, and you can take it right from the freezer to a party (or your mouth).